A land strip hemmed in by paddy fields at Mundathikod in Vadakkancherry was considered the safest spot for pyrotechnic filling. With no houses nearby, skilled men would be at work preparing wondrous fireworks that would be unleashed with a deafening boom and splendour during Thrissur pooram. Every other days, loads of filled-in crackers would be ferried to the pooram venue. These men have a dedicated fanbase. 

It is that time of the year when festival buffs eagerly share Instagram reels on the dazzling display of fireworks from nearby temple festivals. There would be debates and comments on whose handiwork was better - the one at Chelakkara or the other at Nenmara. On Tuesday, a village froze as the small sheds went up in flames. The festive spirit gave way to a mad scramble to hospitals to check whether some of the people they had known for years were still alive.

Satheesan, the licensee who was in charge of fireworks for Thiruvambady Devaswom this year, has taken after his father, Mundathikod Mani. Residents remember Mani as the master of fireworks during temple festivals. People would come from far to marvel at Mani asan's pyrotechnics during temple festivals across villages in Thrissur and Palakkad. Satheesan, who sustained serious burns in the explosion, has been put on a ventilator. He has two daughters.

The area where the firecrackers were prepared for the festival used to be called 'Njaal nilam' (a small stretch of land used to sprout paddy). The strip was later known as 'Vattaparambu'. Every year, this land would be taken over by a group of workers who would prepare the fireworks for the festival. “This has been going on here for decades. The units were set up at a safe distance. It's for the first time such a tragic incident happened. Satheesan has carried out fireworks in many temple festivals. He has carried forward his father's legacy. What happened is really unfortunate,” said Jayakrishnan, a resident.

Unlike his father, Satheesan has not been keen on adoration of festival followers. “We met recently during a wedding and there was a discussion on social media clips on fireworks. He was very dismissive about it. He just went about doing his job,” said Jayakrishnan. 

Satheesan roped in workers from other villages like Vennur, known for masterful fireworks specialists, for Thrissur pooram. It is reported that 40 lunch packets were ordered on Tuesday which indicates that as many number of people were at the site when the explosion happened. 

Villagers have gathered from survivors like Velayudhan that it began with a dyna (a long stick-like cracker) flying off the shed and exploding in the air at the far end of the land which is closer to the road. The spark soon spread to the stock of crackers leading to a massive explosion. Thulasi, a resident and ward member, who has been talking to the survivors said that Satheesh is known for his experience in handling fireworks and Tuesday's accident came as a major shock. According to Jayakrishnan, it was an unbearably hot day and this may have aggravated the scale of explosion.

“We met with a few survivors who managed to spot the spark and run away to safety. But they are still in shock. All they said was that something went up in the air and burst. One of the persons was actually walking towards the unit when the explosion began, he immediately ran back,” said Jayakrishnan. 

The fireforce personnel from Kunnamkulam station, one of the first units to reach the spot, said that there were still blasts happening even as they made their way across the field. “We knew that the explosives would go off in micro-seconds. We approached the scene carefully. In addition to the five sheds, there was another small store where crackers were piled up. This place was sealed,” said Vaysakh, Thrissur fire force station officer. Benny, another fire and rescue officer from Kunnamkulam station said that five bodies were found scattered across the field. Search was also done in two ponds and it would be resumed on Wednesday.