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A massive fire broke out at Broadway in Ernakulam in the early hours of Tuesday, December 30, gutting multiple shops housed in a four-storey commercial building near Sridhar Cinema and causing extensive damage to merchandise, officials said.
The Fire and Rescue Services control room received an alert around 1 am, following which multiple fire units rushed to the spot. Firefighters from Club Road, Gandhinagar, Aluva, Eloor, Mattancherry, Vypin, Aroor, North Paravur and Pattimattom stations were deployed to contain the blaze.
According to officials, the fire initially erupted in a room where scrap and waste materials had accumulated before spreading rapidly to adjacent shops stocked with plastic toys and fancy goods. “The flames spread through an adjacent shop and caught a tarpaulin sheet tied above one of the shops, causing the fire to spread to the upper floors,” Gandhinagar Fire Station officer Lalji PR said.
Between nine and twelve fire units, led by District Fire Officer Harikumar, worked for nearly two and a half hours to bring the blaze fully under control. Local traders and headload workers also assisted emergency responders in the firefighting efforts.
While one shop was completely destroyed, several others sustained partial damage. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported, though property loss is believed to be significant. An official investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.