Drug warehouse in Thiruvananthapuram gutted in fire; fireman killed in action

A godown of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) in Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram was gutted in a massive fire that broke out during the wee hours of Tuesday.

A godown of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) in Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram was gutted in a massive fire that broke out during the wee hours of Tuesday. A fireman who was involved in the fire-fighting operation was killed in action.

The incident occurred at the District Drug Warehouse of the State-run KMSCL in the KINFRA International Apparel Park around 1.30 a.m. On hearing a huge explosion, a few passersby alerted the security team at the park premises. Soon, nearly 10 fire force units were dispatched to the scene from various fire force stations in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.

Official sources said the gutted godown apparently stored a wide range of chemicals including bleaching powder, washing soda, surgical spirit, chloroxylenol and chlorhexidine handrub. Other products including calamine lotion and turpentine liniment were also stocked in the single-storied building that was situated close to the main building that stocked medicines worth nearly ₹16 crore.

The deceased officer, J.S. Renjith, 32, who hailed from Attingal and was attached to the Chakka fire force station, was crushed to death when a portion of the building collapsed on him. A concrete beam fell on him while he attempted to break open a shutter. Despite being rushed to a private hospital, he succumbed to his injuries around 3.30 a.m. The fireman joined the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services seven years ago.

While multiple agencies have launched probes into the fire mishap, preliminary findings pointed to the possibility of the bleaching powder catching fire due to extreme heat. The loss is estimated to be ₹1.22 crore, according to preliminary findings.

Ruling out the possibility of sabotage, District Collector Geromic George said samples of the bleaching powder will be sent for chemical tests. The packaging of chemicals will also be examined to ascertain the cause of fire.

This is the second fire outbreak that has been reported in a drug warehouse of the KMSCL in a week. The District Drug Warehouse of the company in Kollam was gutted in fire with the loss pegged at ₹8 crore. The unnatural frequency of such occurrences has raised concerns of the quality of chemicals stocked by KMSCL.