A fire broke out in a cold storage in the Ballari Industrial Area on the outskirts of Ballari city at around 8 p.m. on Saturday and destroyed a large number of red chilli bags. However, no loss of human life was reported.
As the incident came to light late in the night, Fire and Emergency Services personnel and policemen rushed to the spot and began extinguishing the flames.
The operation went off till the morning hours on Sunday. It was learnt that the heavy pungent generated by the burning red chillies was a major hurdle for the firemen.
“A large number of red chilli bags were stored in the cold storage and the Fire and Emergency Services personnel and policemen found it difficult to approach the spot because of the intense pungent smell of the burning chillies. There were no casualties,” Superintendent of Police, Ballari, Saidulu Adavath told The Hindu over the phone.
As per available information, the cold storage belonged to Kerala-based Jayanti Indian Products Limited. The fire did not come to light early as the building had little openings, just as cold storages normally have. The fire came to the notice of the public after the burning chilli smell spread in the area and the cold storage began emitting smoke. The exact cause of the fire and the amount of loss are yet to be determined.
