Fire breaks out at textile store, clothes worth Rs 2 crore gutted

Tuticorin: Clothes worth Rs 2 crore were gutted after a fire broke out in a prominent textile store in Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district. The incident took place late on Tuesday night and was noticed by passers-by. Six fire tenders, pressed into service from various parts of the district, managed to put out the fire after a few hours.

The store is located near the Anna Bus Terminal in Kovilpatti. As the fire started spreading throughout the building, fire tenders from Kalugumalai, Sattur, Tuticorin and Vilathukulam were pressed into service apart from the fire tenders available in Kovilpatti.

Officials from fire and rescue services department said that electricity connection was first disconnected before firefighting. It took around four hours to douse the fire completely, but by then most of the garments stored in the store were gutted. They suspect that electric short circuit could have triggered the accident, although a detailed study was under way to ascertain the cause. A few two-wheelers parked in front of the store were also damaged.

No injury was reported as the store was closed. Based on a complaint, a case was registered with the Kovilpatti West police station and a separate inquiry was on.