Times: "Many rendered homeless as fire destroys 100 huts"

The following was in the Times of India today (June 16, 2009,) on page 3.

Many rendered homeless as fire destroys 100 huts
Times News Network

Chennai: More than 100 huts in Nandambakkam were gutted after a fire broke out in one of them during the early hours on Monday. Residents tried to put out the blaze with water and sand, but the flames soon spread to other huts, eventually gutting 106 of them. There was no casualty, however, thanks to a timely alert.

According to the police, around 1.40am on Monday, the roof of one of the huts in MGR Nagar in Nandambakkam, below the bridge near the Chennai Trade Centre, caught fire. An autorickshaw driver passing by noticed it and alerted residents, who informed the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) department around 1.55 am.

The first fire engine reached the spot around 2.45am. By then many huts were destroyed. Five water lorries, five Metrowater lorries and two water tankers were pressed into service. By about 4am, the fire was extinguished.

“The first house to catch fire was locked. A short circuit was the cause. Most of the families here are from Vathalagundu, near Madurai,” said a police officer.

Kancheepuram collector Santosh K Misra and labour minister T M Anbarasan visited the spot at 11am. They distributed relief material, which included five kilograms of rice, clothes and Rs 5,000 in cash.

The residents whose houses were gutted will be shifted to Perungalathur, a place near Tambaram.

“We have been living here for the past 25 years and never before has a fire occurred. We are mostly labourers and now we have lost whatever little property we had saved,” said Muthulakshmi, a resident.

“If they shift us to Perungalathur, our children will find it hard to come to school,” said Ezhumalai, another resident.

Note: According to our information from both the residents and the government, each household was given Rs 2000 in cash.

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