Jewellery box manufacturing unit gutted near Coimbatore

An industrial unit based near Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore, which manufactures designer boxes for jewellery, was destroyed in a fire on Friday. Fire fighters took nearly four hours to completely douse the flames.

An industrial unit based near Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore, which manufactures designer boxes for jewellery, was destroyed in a fire on Friday. Fire fighters took nearly four hours to completely douse the flames.

The Fire and Rescue Services said Emballage Enterprises at Vasantham Nagar near Kuniyamuthur was destroyed in the fire that was reported on Friday afternoon.

According to officials with the Fire Services, the unit caught fire around 1.30 p.m. and it spread fast due the presence of raw materials, including hardboard panels that are used for making jewellery boxes. They said the unit run by Thrissur-based Rasheed employed around 130 people. All the workers escaped before the fire engulfed the unit.

Thick black smoke billowed from the place that lies close to reserve forest areas of the Madukkarai range. Forest Department staff initially panicked as the smoke appeared to have billowed from the rear side of a hill when it was seen from Madukkarai side.

After being alerted by the workers, six fire tenders and staff from Coimbatore south, Coimbatore north, Kovaipudur and Thondamuthur stations reached the spot. Five tankers of water was additionally used to put out the fire.

District Fire Officer P. Pulukandi and three station house officers supervised the fire extinguishing works.