Jayalakshmi Silks fire: No evidence of short circuit found by fire authorities, safety systems inadequate

Kozhikode: A detailed inspection by the Fire and Rescue Services at the Jayalakshmi Silks building, which was gutted in a major fire on Tuesday evening, has not been able to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.

District Fire Officer (DFO) Ashraf Ali K M said a team led by him conducted a comprehensive examination of the multi-storey showroom on Wednesday morning. However, the inspection did not conclusively establish whether a short circuit or any other specific factor triggered the blaze.

“We cannot confirm that it was caused by a short circuit. There was no clear ignition source identified inside the showroom during the preliminary inspection. Only a detailed forensic examination will be able to determine the exact cause of the fire,” the DFO said.

The team is expected to submit a detailed report to District Collector Snehil Kumar on Thursday.

The fire broke out around 6 pm on Tuesday at the textile showroom located on Kallayi Road. Fire and rescue personnel battled the flames for nearly three hours before bringing the situation under control.

According to officials, the fire originated in the stock area at a corner of the second floor and quickly spread to the third floor, eventually going out of control. Though the showroom had installed fire safety systems such as sprinklers and fire extinguishers, the DFO noted that the equipment was inadequate considering the volume of textile materials stored inside the building.

“The sprinkler system was not sufficient to meet the requirements of a showroom of this size, especially with the huge quantity of garments stocked,” he said.

Officials said nearly half of the second floor and substantial portions of the first and third floors were completely gutted. In addition to the direct fire damage, dense smoke destroyed a large quantity of dress materials in other parts of the building.

The DFO added that the shop management had been vigilant about fire safety, particularly since a similar fire incident had occurred at the same building three years ago. Following that incident, the owners had implemented safety measures as advised by the Fire and Rescue Services. However, the latest fire has once again raised concerns about fire preparedness in large commercial establishments.

Meanwhile, a team of electrical inspectorate will conduct an inspection at the accident spot on Wednesday afternoon.