A major blaze erupted at an old paper godown in Madurai's Obula Padithurai area, damaging goods worth several lakhs. According to reports there were no major casualties reported and firefighters controlled the blaze after a tough battle. The unexpected incident caused severe traffic congestion and police have begun investigation into the cause of the accident. This is a second major fire incident reported from the state. On Sunday evening, fire broke out at a private godown in Madhavaram. While no persons were injured in the fire accident, thick smoke billowed out of the godown which engulfed the sky.
Motorists first noticed thick smoke coming out of the godown near Madhavaram roundtana and immediately alerted the fire department. Police said that the godown housed used tyres, carton boxes, auto spare parts and other items and there were short bursts of explosion too.Over half a dozen fire tenders from Madhavaram and other fire stations in Chennai sub-urban division of TNFRS (Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services) department rushed to the scene and after an ordeal that lasted for over three hours, the fire was brought under control, a senior official with TNFRS department said. Authorities suspect the fire to have triggered due to an electrical short circuit.