Fireman Dies After Fire-Hit Building Collapses On Him In Kerala: Cops

A 32-year-old fireman died while attempting to douse a massive fire that erupted at a state-run drug warehouse here early on Tuesday. Ranjith, the dead, was attached to the Chakka unit of the state Fire and Rescue Services, police said.

The state government ordered a comprehensive probe into the shocking incident and said safety audits would be conducted in all drug warehouses, under the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL), across the state.

According to police, the tragedy occurred when a portion of the fire-hit building collapsed, crushing the hapless man while he was busy putting out the raging flames.

He and his fellow firemen rushed to the Kinfra Industrial Park nearby Thumba after learning that a major fire broke out in a warehouse there.

The drug warehouse, owned by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL), was destroyed in the fire by 1.30 am.

The security guard of the warehouse first noticed the fire and alerted the fire services, a police officer said. "A beam of the building suddenly fell upon the fireman, crushing him. He was rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to injuries," he told PTI.

Several units of fire service personnel reached the spot, and the blaze was extinguished, he added.

Condolences poured in from various quarters over the untimely death of the young fireman.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, General Education and Labour Minister V Sivankutty and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan expressed grief in light of the tragedy.

In a message, the CM said he conveyed his condolence to bereaved family members.

Minister Sivankutty, in a Facebook post, said the fire in the building was "unfortunate" and the government would carry out an inquiry into the incident.

Expressing profound grief over the death of the fireman, Health Minister Veena George said a direction has already been given to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the fire incident.

"Safety audits will be conducted in all drug warehouses under the KMSCL. Fire Safety audits will be conducted in hospitals also ( in the wake of the incident)," she said in a statement.

Various scientific examinations including forensic tests would be conducted at the fire accident site on the Kinfra campus to ascertain the reasons for the flames, the minister added.

DGP B Sandhya, who visited the fire accident site, told reporters that the drug warehouse building did not have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire and rescue department and there were no mandatory equipment to douse the flames.

Last week, another warehouse of KMSCL was destroyed in fire in Kollam district following which Health Minister Veena George ordered a probe into the incident.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)