80 huts gutted in Besant Nagar fishing hamlet fire

Chennai: About 80 huts were charred in a fire that broke out in Odai Kuppam, a fishing hamlet in Besant Nagar, during the small hours of Wednesday. There were no casualties but the damage to property was huge.

Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) control room began receiving distress calls from 12.15 am onwards. Soon after the first tender reached the spot, TNFRS personnel sought additional forces considering the extent of the blaze. Subsequently, as many as eight fire tenders from Teynampet, Guindy, Ashok Nagar, and Saidapet were pressed into service. Six more metrowater lorries were roped in to replenish water for the fire tenders.

The TNFRS personnel had a tough time reaching the spot since the hamlet was accessible only in two ways — either through the narrow Elliots Beach road or through the Ashtalakshmi temple side. The latter was more accessible for the fire tenders to reach the spot. Due to the steady wind from the sea, the fire continued to grow and it took at least 3 hours for the fire tenders to put it out completely.

Police said rumours were ripe about the cause of the fire and those doing the rounds included a serial LPG blast.

“Some claim that somebody said a miscreant deliberately set a house on fire. Though we suspect an electrical short circuit could have started the fire, we are yet to find out the actual cause of fire. We have recorded the statements of a few who claimed to have seen the fire start in the hamlet,” said a senior police official.