A major fire broke out on Friday afternoon in an aquarium unit in Thiruvananthapuram, however, no casualties were reported, police said.
The two-storey building, situated in Vazhuthacaud area, in the heart of the city, was gutted in the blaze along with two neighbouring houses which also suffered damages, said police.
The incident came to the fore as area residents noticed the fire and smoke coming out from the outlet and alerted the fire department.
Later, transport minister Antony Raju visited the site. He said, “The fire was brought under control in two hours. Timely intervention averted a big tragedy. The district administration and police will conduct an investigation into the incident.”
At the time of the incident, three workers were trapped inside the unit, they were rescued before the fire spread. Since the building was situated in a narrow, it was difficult to reach the site with the equipment, said an official from the fire department.
As the fire spread to neighbouring buildings, several families were evacuated, the official said, adding the blaze was brought under control in two hours.
One of the rescued employees, on anonymity said, two welders were working inside the building. Police suspect sparks from the welding machines may have spread to some inflammable objects kept inside the unit triggering the fire.