Fire at beverages godown in Pulikeezhu brought under control

Kottayam: A major fire broke out at the beverages godown and outlet in Pulikeezhu near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district around 8pm on Tuesday night. The outlet and the godown were completely gutted in the fire, but there were no casualties. The staff ran to safety as the fire broke out.

Fire and rescue units from Thiruvalla, Changanassery and Thakazhy rushed to the spot to bring the fire under control. The smashed liquor bottles led to the fire spreading faster and it was difficult to bring it under control. This was one of the major godowns of the Kerala state beverage corporation.

The factory, which makes the popular Jawan rum, is located close to the godown. A major tragedy was averted as the fire did not spread to the factory.

There were welding works going on at the rear side of the godown post noon. It is suspected that the fire broke out from the sparks. The loss is estimated to run up to several lakhs. Meanwhile, the excise minister issued an order for a high-level inquiry into the incident.