Seven cluster homes gutted in fire at Munnar

Seven tea estate workers' homes were destroyed in a fire in Idukki, with no casualties reported.

Seven tea estate workers’ layams (cluster homes) were gutted in a fire at Sholamala estate in Nallathanni division under Kannan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP), near Munnar, in Idukki in the wee hours of Thursday.

According to local residents, the fire broke out at 2 a.m. at a house in Pathumury Layams and the blaze soon spread to other houses. Seven out of ten houses were fully gutted, while one house was partially damaged in the fire.

The houses of Gowri, Panchavarnam, Meenakshi, Radhika, Raju, Pazhani Swami, and Violet were destroyed in the fire, the locals said. However, no casualties were reported.

Fire and rescue services’ personnel from Munnar rushed to the spot but they could not be of much help due to a dysfunctional motor. By the time another unit from Adimaly reached the spot, the houses were already damaged. Plantation workers alleged that the fire and rescue services’ personnel failed to provide assistance, which resulted in the fire spreading through their houses. Workers said that all goods stored inside their homes, including clothes, children’s textbooks and documents, were fully damaged in the incident.

According to sources, it was suspected that the fire broke out from a lighted lamp inside the house. 

In a similar incident, 10 cluster homes were gutted in November in a fire at Kadalar estate, near Munnar, under KDHP company. The fire broke out at 8 p.m. According to KDHP sources, the company allotted new houses to the affected families on Thursday evening and provided essential commodities.