Kochi: A major fire broke out on the top floor of a 10-storey residential building of the Indian Navy near the High Court in Kochi on Thursday evening. Prompt intervention by Fire and Rescue Services personnel brought the blaze under control within an hour before it could spread, and no casualties or injuries were reported.

The fire broke out in an unoccupied flat on the 10th floor of Fernson’s Apartment at St Benedict Road, Kacheripady, which is used as Naval Quarters, around 4.30 pm. The multi-storey residential complex is an ageing building and the structure was undergoing renovation, with work in progress on its upper floors when the incident occurred. According to the Navy, people were residing only on the lower floors

Two fire tenders from the Gandhinagar and Club Road Fire and Rescue Stations were rushed to the spot after local residents alerted authorities. Firefighters faced considerable challenges in tackling the blaze due to the height of the 14-storey building, heavy rain, and the difficulty of pumping water at high pressure to the top floor.

Despite the adverse conditions, firefighters managed to reach the affected area and contain the flames before they spread to adjacent floors or nearby buildings in the densely populated locality.

Ernakulam MLA TJ Vinod, who reached the site, said the situation was brought under control swiftly and confirmed that all occupants had been safely evacuated.

“The exact cause of the fire is not known yet. Renovation work is going on here in this 14-storey building. It is a very old structure,” Vinod told the media. “Currently, renovation work is happening on the top two or three floors. People reside only on three floors in this building leased by the Navy, and all of them have been evacuated. The fire force has now brought the situation under control.”

The MLA said furniture and other materials kept on the top floor for the renovation work are suspected to have caught fire, contributing to the thick smoke and flames seen billowing from the upper levels of the building.

Officials from the Fire and Rescue Services and the local police confirmed that there was no threat to life and that no injuries had been reported in the incident. 

“We have launched a detailed inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. We suspect it could be an electrical short circuit amid the rain that triggered the fire,” said an official.

The Navy also issued a statement which said that the fire was brought under control quickly through the swift and coordinated efforts of the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, assisted by the firefighting teams of INS Venduruthy and INS Garuda, thereby preventing its further spread.

“The incident is currently under investigation, the cause of fire and the exact circumstances that triggered the fire will be determined after completion of the necessary inquiries,” the Navy said.