THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The warehouse of Kerala Medical Services Corporation at KINFRA park in Menamkulam was gutted in a major fire outbreak reported in the wee hours of Tuesday.
A fire and rescue department official was killed in action while trying to douse the fire.
While fighting fire, a portion of the building fell on J S Renjith, 32, a fireman attached with Chackai fire station. He sustained serious injuries and was pulled out of the rubble with great difficulty. Though he was rushed to a private hospital in the city, he passed away at 3.50 am. Renjith is a native of Attingal and had joined the force six years ago.
The blaze was first noticed at 1.30 am in the section where chemicals are stored. It’s assessed that the fire could have erupted from the spot where bleaching powder was kept. The fire was accompanied with loud explosions and only security personnel were present at the spot when the accident occurred.
The fire and rescue services units from the district were deployed to fight the blaze, which was contained after several hours of effort. The sources said the chemicals were fitted in fire, while the medicines were not damaged as they were kept in a separate building.
