A godown of an event management firm was gutted in a major fire that broke out at Peringavu, near Thrissur, on Friday. Preliminary estimates indicate a loss of ₹2 crore in the fire. Decorative materials, wooden items, carpets, flex boards, gypsum boards and mats were destroyed.
According to sources, the fire was reported at Oscar Event Management located along the Peringavu road. The fire created panic for hours as it had broken out at a thickly populated area. The Fire and Rescue Services personnel first took precaution to ensure that the blaze did not spread outside the unit.
People who witnessed smoke billowing from the godown alerted the Fire and Rescue Services department. As many as 10 units of the fire and rescue services force fought for more than an hour to bring the blaze under control. Thick smoke that emanated from the unit created discomfort for local residents. A fireman from Kunnamkulam unit collapsed during the dousing operation. He was shifted to a hospital.
“Though the fire was brought under control with one hour, it took another two hours to clear the smoke. The burnt remains of items stored in the godown were removed with earthmovers and water was pumped in to bring down the smoke. It was difficult to enter the godown due to thick smoke and fire-fighters found it hard to douse the fire. The 10 fire units used about 1.5 lakh litres of water to extinguish the fire,” said district fire officer Arun Bhaskar.
Oscar Event Management has conducted several events in the district, including making arrangements for the Thrissur shopping festival.
