20230616 Multi-storey building near TTD’s Govindaraja Swamy temple goes up in flames in Tirupati
India Jun 16 2023 “Building” “Other bldg.”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Multi-storey building near TTD’s Govindaraja Swamy temple goes up in flames in Tirupati
Updated: 2023-06-16
TIRUPATI: A multi-storey building, owned by a retail outlet selling photo frames, went up in flames near Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
The entire structure is a narrow vertical building abutting the intersection of two crammed lanes — Govindaraja car street and Govindaraja north mada street — located a few metres away from the Tirupati railway station in the old city area.
There were no casualties reported in the mishap as the staff and customers ran out in panic as soon as the building caught fire.
The building serves as the assembling unit-cum-sales outlet of photo frames depicting Sri Venkateswara and other deities, meant to tap the readymade market available in the form of floating population around the temple.
Though the cause of the fire is not immediately known, it spread rapidly to all the floors in no time.
The heat wave and the wind made the fire spread even to the third building.
However, the building in the middle remained unaffected as it had lesser number of floors.
Apart from ready-to-sell portraits, the building also reportedly housed a large quantity of raw materials such as plywood sheets, cardboards, adhesive resin and similar inflammable material that is believed to have aggravated the spread of fire.
As the building is located close to the huge wooden chariot belonging to Sri Govindaraja temple, it was initially feared that the fire spread to the chariot too.
However, the TTD sources later clarified that it remained unaffected.
Fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought down the blaze after several hours of fire-fighting.
The location of several such matchbox-like vertical structures precariously close to the temple has always remained a cause for concern.
In view of the mishap, the panicked residents of the four streets encircling the temple have renewed their appeal to the civic authorities to check for adherence to building and fire safety norms.
Web Source: The Times of India