Fire guts decades-old coffin shop in Wayanad, stocked with around 100 coffins in Pulppally

Pulppally: A three-storey coffin production unit that had been catering to funeral needs in the region for more than two decades was completely gutted in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Thazheyangadi here. A furniture shop in the same building was also gutted in the blaze.

The coffin shop, which supplied coffins, decorative flowers and other funeral-related equipment, including freezers for preserving bodies at homes and generators, was extensively damaged, leaving its owner facing heavy financial losses. There were also two huge refrigerators that were used to stock cut flowers for decoration.

According to Puthanpurakkal Saji, the owner, around 100 coffins, both finished and partially finished, were stocked in the shop when the fire broke out. The total loss suffered by the shop is yet to be estimated.

Saji said he and his family had remained at the shop until 10.30 pm on Wednesday. It was a neighbouring family that first alerted him to the fire after 1 am. Two migrant workers who were staying in a portion of the shop building were also alerted and evacuated by residents who rushed to the spot.

Saji and his family had earlier been living in a portion of the building but had since moved out.

Interestingly, another fire had broken out at the same premises during the corresponding month last year. On that occasion, the fire was brought under control at an early stage as Saji and his family were living there, enabling them to respond quickly.

The police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. CCTV footage from the shop has been collected for examination as part of the probe. The exact cause of the fire will be established only after an inspection by electrical experts from the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), the police said.

Fire and rescue unit got delayed due to fog
The delay in the arrival of the Fire and Rescue Services team from Sulthan Bathery also contributed to the extent of the damage, according to local sources.

Though the team had set out from Sulthan Bathery promptly, thick fog and poor visibility along the forest stretch reportedly hampered its journey, Fire and Rescue Services personnel said. By the time the unit reached the spot, little remained to be saved.

Pulppally does not have its own Fire and Rescue Services unit. In the event of a fire or other emergency, a team has to be summoned from either Sulthan Bathery or Mananthavadi, both around 25 km away, resulting in additional response time.