Fire breaks out at IT campus in Sholinganallur

Chennai: A massive fire broke out at a godown storing discarded electronic equipment at the Tech Mahindra campus in Sholinganallur on Friday evening. No casualties were reported.The warehouse is located inside the Tamil Nadu Electronics Corporation Special Economic Zone on Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), where several IT and automobile companies operate with nearly 6,000 employees.According to police officials, thick black smoke billowed from the godown shortly after the fire broke out. Employees inside the campus were immediately evacuated. The fire safety personnel in the campus attempted to douse the fire .On receiving information, fire and rescue services personnel from Tambaram, Thiruvanmiyur, Thoraipakkam, Medavakkam and Guindy fire stations reached the spot. Private firefighting vehicles from nearby companies were also deployed to assist in the operation. Police said the godown housed discarded electrical items, including old air-conditioners and damaged electric vehicles, all of which were gutted in the blaze. More than 50 firefighters engaged in operations for several hours to bring the blaze under control. Private water tankers also joined the rescue operations.Official sources said the fire is suspected to have caused due to electrical short circuit. Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.