IIT security staff help in putting out the fire on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: R. Sivaraman more-in A major fire broke out in rocket and missiles laboratory inside the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras on Tuesday morning. Explosives, propellants and sophisticated equipments were gutted in the fire. Few construction labourers and private security personnel noticed it at around 7.45 a.m. and alerted IIT security staff. A. Silambarasan, construction worker, who witnessed the fire, said, “While we were working here, we heard a loud blast-like noise. We found thick smoke billowing from the first floor of laboratory. Fire engulfed the building and three more times it burst.” IIT security staff and other students tried to put out the fire. Fire tenders from Guindy and Kotturpuram were pressed into service. The cause of fire was not immediately known. The quantum of damage is yet to be ascertained. The lab was closed later and no researcher was allowed inside. Police were not able to ascertain immediately the cause of fire, as staff refused to talk to them. The lab is located few yards away from sprawling Raj Bhavan campus.

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