Over 200 Cars in Chennai Parking Lot Day After Blaze at Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru
CHENNAI : A major fire burnt down over 200 vehicles at a private car parking facility, opposite a hospital in Chennai’s Porur area, on Sunday. After a distress call that came in at 2.05 pm, eight fire tenders from Egmore reached the spot and brought the fire under control after about two hours, The News Minute reported.
According to reports, 214 cars have been destroyed in the fire. The incident reportedly took place after dry grass caught fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Police investigation underway.
The incident came just a day after a major fire swept through the parking area of the Aero India event at the Yelahanka Air Force station in Bengaluru, gutting about 300 cars on the final day of the premier air show.
The blaze may have spread due to dry grass catching fire, fanned by winds. The fire broke out near the Sri Ramachandra Medical College around 2 pm. Ten fire tenders were sent in to extinguish the fire.P Ponniah, Collector and District Magistrate of Kancheepuram, told reporters “Around 300 cars were parked here by the UTOO cabs and 187 of them were gutted in the fire. The land belongs to the city-based cab-hailing firm.” The cars were parked by the private company over the last one year, a fire official had earlier said.
The incident comes just a day after a similar fire gutted around 300 cars near the Bengaluru air show venue. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The fire brigade and Rapid Action Force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams doused the blaze in about 40 minutes after it was noticed around noon.
The Indian Air Force has ordered a Court of Inquiry into the cause of the fire. Defence Minister Niramala Sitharaman visited the spot on Sunday. Officials, who briefed Ms Sitharaman on Sunday, told her that the probable cause of the incident was fire from an overheated silencer of one of the parked cars and fanned by strong wings, it spread quickly. (With Agency Inputs ).