Parallel investigations into the fire outbreak at the godown of a toy shop in Chala here on Monday evening remained inconclusive on Tuesday.
Both the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services and the Electrical Inspectorate have launched probes to identify the circumstances that could have led to the fire that gutted the godown that functioned on the third floor of a building near Sree Padmanabha Theatre.
Chengalchoola fire and rescue station officer D. Praveen said the wholesale dealer had stocked large quantities of toys under corrugated iron sheets. These included spray cans containing party foam and numerous battery-operated toys that were found to have been switched on. Besides such flammable products, there was also a toy stuffing machine and several cotton wads presumably used for stuffing soft toys.
Inspection
Another team led by Electrical Inspector Ushakumari P.K. also recorded their findings after conducting a thorough inspection. They found no complaints with the switch boards and a distribution board that were installed separately for the third floor. An earth-leakage circuit breaker (ELCB) also did not trip to suggest electrical leakage. Besides, the switch board that was used for the toy stuffing machine kept on an extended portion on the same floor remained in decent working condition.
The official said a final assessment could be made only after recording the statements of the dealer as well as the workers of the outlet.
