KOCHI: Authorities have decided to inspect all warehouses in the district from Monday after a major fire broke out at a six-storey building that functioned as a godown for footwear brand Paragon at the busy Kalathilparambil Road near the Ernakulam Junction railway station on Wednesday morning.Officials said no casualties were reported but it took five hours for the firefighters to douse the fire.The district collector has sought a detailed report from the fire department while the Kochi corporation has asked its officials to verify whether the owners of the warehouse had obtained necessary permissions, including a building permit, a commercial licence, and the dangerous and offensive (D&O) trade licence.Civic body officials also said that they will have to look into the rules and regulations, which allow the functioning of warehouses within the city limits. “The local body has six zones. The officials have to check the zones which allow functioning of the warehouses,” said a corporation official.The fire broke out at 11am at the rear side of the building, Paragon Tower, where display and electric rooms were situated. There were around 15 employees in the godown who managed to run out before the fire engulfed the building.Two lorry drivers who were loading goods first spotted large plumes of smoke spreading around the multi-storey godown stored with footwear and bags. As per initial estimate, the company has suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore.The first fire tender reached the spot in minutes, though the road leading to the godown was narrow and bustling with traffic. More than sixty fire engines from Alappuzha, Thrissur, Palakkad and Ernakulam were pressed into service.Firefighters had a tough time dousing the fire which ripped through the rubber and leather products quickly. Five floors of the building were tightly covered with aluminium panels, which prevented the firefighters from spraying water inside. Besides, a lot of rubber-based products were stashed on the staircases as well, causing the fire to reach the top floors fast.“Only 5% of the water we pumped entered the building as it had a poor ventilation system. We were able to spray water and foam inside only after the aluminium panels got melted in the heat. Our priority was to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings,” said a fire force official.“The aluminium panels were fixed in an unscientific manner. They had a firefighting system installed in the building but it was not functional. The water tank was also empty,” said V Sidhakumar, assistant divisional fire officer, Ernakulam.“The godown officials told us that they were running a generator and it could have sparked the fire. The firefighting system in godowns are different from those in high-rise buildings. We have to find out whether the owners have taken a non-objection certificate for the godown,” said Sidhakumar.“We have yet to find out the reason for the fire. Our priority was to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. I have sought a report from fire and rescue department,” said district collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla.“We had received a lot of orders following our anniversary celebrations. All the stocks were kept in the five floors. All of us were busy packing the products in the first floor when we heard the noise. Initially, we thought someone got electrocuted. Later, we came to know about the fire and rushed out,” said a staff working at the packing section.“We heard a blast from the first floor. There was a fire alarm installed near the display room but we could not use it since thick smoke was coming out,” said another employee.Meanwhile, Paragon officials said the building had a firefighting system and an NOC from the fire and rescue department.However, Shiny Mathew, town planning committee chairperson said: “It is unsure whether they have received the corporation’s sanction for constructing a six-storey building at the site.”

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