The roof of Chennai’s Sai Baba temple in Mylapore, which was under construction, caught fire on the night of Sunday, November 12, during Deepavali celebrations. According to sources from the police department, a firework rocket hit the under-construction roof of the Sai Baba temple in Kapaleeswarar nagar, which started a fire around 8:15 pm on Sunday. The fire was doused within thirty minutes by the fire brigade and no injuries were reported.

The concerned official said, “While we are suspecting that a firework rocket triggered the fire, the investigation is underway to confirm the source. The fire was triggered easily because a structure made of straws was erected around the roof.” Only one fire engine reached the spot and was able to douse the fire, the official added. 

Although the city’s police restricted the time for bursting firecrackers to 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm on Sunday, the city’s Commissioner Radhakrishnan noted non-adherence.