Chennai Silks Fire Rages On For Second Day

The Chennai Silks building is to be demolished by 4 p.m., officials have confirmed. The decision was taken following the advice of experts and engineers of the PWD. The massive operation will be undertaken with the expertise of Chennai Metro Rail Limited. All residents within a 200-meter radius in the area in will be evacuated, officials said. The estimated loss is Rs.420 crore.

The city police registered a case by calling it an accidental fire. The cause of accident is yet to be investigated with the help of forensic experts, said a senior official of the city police. The initial investigation revealed that barrels of diesel to be used for power generators had been stocked in the basement.

A major portion of the seven-storeyed building of Chennai Silks on Usman Road crumbled early in the morning as the fire gutted the portion. On Wednesday, the fire had destroyed all goods stocked in the show room. Almost 32 hours later, the fire brigade is still trying to control the flames. The entire area of Usman Road was barricaded and no public and media personnel were allowed near the scene. The fire brigade is still fighting using skylifts but smoke is still seen to be billowing out from the building.

The Madras HC agrees to speed up the hearing of pleas against unauthorised constructions in Chennai after the fire. A team of doctors headed by Dr. S. Mayilvahanan, director of internal medicine at MMC, reach the spot. Chennai corporation health officials are also on stand-by. Three hospital-on-wheels team, four 108 ambulances and 2 two-wheeler ambulances are also in position.

Residents of two apartment complexes next to the Chennai Silks building have been asked to leave ahead of the demolition. Revenue Minister R.B. Udayakumar has reached the spot and held a meeting with officials. "A floor of the building collapsed because of the intense heat. Fire has been doused... But due to the heat, in patches it's restarting. Fire officials are monitoring the situation. We have experts on the field now. Once the fire is doused completely and the situation is brought back to normalcy, the government will take action to bring down the building. Experts will also look at how to minimise damage to the neighbouring buildings. Administration is keen to ensure neighbouring buildings are not affected. Experts are assessing technical feasibilities of bringing down the building. Right now safety is important. The government will also check if there are any violations of rules. Work on deciding how to go about demolishing the building will start after bringing the fire completely under control," the Minister told the media. Health Minister C.J. Vijaya Bhaskar also arrives at the spot.