[libertiespana]

Several books were gutted in a fire that broke out in a bookshop located in a 150year-old colonial building on the arterial Anna Salai on Thursday morning.

The fire was caused by a short circuit in an air conditioning unit, police said.

The fire, which broke out in the shop on the first floor of the three-storeyed 150-year-old Agurchand Mansion, was noticed at 9.30 am on Thursday by the watchman, Kumar, who was on duty.

About 60 fire service personnel rushed to the spot and battled hard for three hours to bring under control the fire in the building that houses several shops.

Eight fire tenders, six Metro Water tankers and one skylift were pressed into the service to douse the flames.
Thick smoke engulfed the busy arterial road, affecting traffic for nearly an hour.

Initial estimates said books worth several crores of rupees were reduced to ashes at S Chand & Company, a wholesale and retail text book shop.

However, damage was minimised as several books were quickly removed from the shop. The owner of the bookshop, Nirmala Gupta, is in Delhi and has been informed about the fire, said a fire official, adding that the actual loss is yet to be estimated.

Based on the complaint of the shop’s manager Rajalingam, Anna Salai police has registered a case.

The mishap comes close on the heels of a major fire that broke out on January 15 at Kalas Mahal at Ezhilagam complex in Chepauk, which houses various government departments.

-dc chn