Fire and rescue personnel battled thick smoke and adverse conditions like poor access for over five hours before they contained the blaze that engulfed the three-storey textile showroom near the Mofussil Bus Stand in Kozhikode on Sunday. Fire department officials said that the blaze is believed to have originated on the first floor. A detailed investigation will begin on Monday.

Preliminary findings indicate that the building is old, and no fire safety systems were in place. Fourteen fire and rescue teams from Kozhikode district were involved in the firefighting operations, while one rescue team was called in from the Calicut Airport. The Beach fire station was the first to respond, followed by teams from Meenchanda and Vellimadukunnu. The units were also summoned from Malappuram.

Firefighters, donning oxygen suits, entered the building through the back door. Once their oxygen cylinders were exhausted, the teams rushed to the nearest fire stations for refills. "Gaining access to the building was the main challenge. We broke open the shutters using shears. Once we learnt the entry route, we could quicken the process. Our main priority was to shield the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. The shops on the ground floor also did not catch fire," said one of the officials. 

The incident has reinforced the need for proper fire safety mechanisms in commercial buildings. The building where the fire broke out on Sunday is over four decades old.