Kottayam: A fire broke out at the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVSA) at Kanjiramattom on Monday. Two units of the Fire and Rescue Services from Pampady and Pala rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. No casualties were reported. Fire officials are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

According to a student of the institute, the fire originated inside an indoor shooting floor where sets are erected for film shoots. “The fire broke out in our shooting floor, which is an enclosed area where we set up sets and conduct indoor shoots. In the evening, we locked the premises and left. There was no one inside at that time,” the student told Onmanorama.

The students reportedly heard noises from inside the building. “When a door was opened to check, we found that a fire had broken out inside. An old house set had been erected there, and a portion of it, which was made of plywood, had caught fire,” he said. “By the time the fire was brought under control, nearly 70 per cent of the set had been damaged,” he said.

The institute is yet to assess the total loss. “Our staff and faculty members have just arrived. There were no cameras or major equipment inside the shooting floor, as they had been shifted earlier to a separate storage space,” he said. However, the fire damaged the set materials, wiring and other installations inside the shooting floor.