One person was killed and two others seriously injured after a chips shop was gutted in fire on a busy street in Kaithamukku in the city on Saturday.
Appu Achary, 83, of Vanchiyoor, who owned Kannan’s Chips that functioned on the Kaithamukku-Pettah road, was charred to death after he made a futile attempt to escape. His son Ayyappan and employee Pandian have been admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital with critical burn injuries.
The shop functioned from a room in a building that also housed a pharmacy and other commercial establishments. The pharmacy was also partially damaged in the incident.
The fire outbreak was reported around 4.30 p.m. following a suspected gas leakage from one of the seven cylinders that were inside the shop. Soon, three fire force units rushed to the spot and removed the cylinders to avert a major disaster with the assistance of local residents. Shopkeepers from nearby buildings were also evacuated during the course of the fire-fighting operation.
The actual extent of loss is yet to be ascertained, official sources said.
