Fire guts TV repair shop in Keralam’s Perumbavoor

A television repair shop was gutted in a fire at Chelakkulam near Perumbavoor on Saturday (August 29, 2026) in the third incident of fire breakout reported from commercial establishments in the suburban areas of Ernakulam within a week.The blaze occurred at the shop, run by Chelakkulam resident Thajudheen, around 1 a.m. on Saturday while he was still at work. The fire originated in a solar battery, which exploded while Mr. Thajudheen was trying to extinguish the flames, according to Fire and Rescue Services personnel. The situation worsened as the fire spread to polystyrene sheets stored in the shop, leaving the facility filled with thick smoke.Mr. Thajudheen’s house, which is close to the shop, was also partially damaged as the fire spread to the building. A major tragedy was averted as he managed to wake his family members and move them to safety.The fire was doused by four fire and rescue units from the Pattimattom, Perumbavoor and Aluva fire stations in an operation that lasted two hours.Around 150 television sets, spare parts, and several pieces of equipment were destroyed in the fire.Earlier on Friday (August 28, 2026), a furniture manufacturing unit at the mini industrial estate in Piravom was gutted in a fire reportedly caused by a short circuit.Two days earlier, on Tuesday (August 25, 2026), a major fire gutted a godown adjoining a stationery supermarket at Angamaly. The blaze reportedly broke out on the top floor of the godown before spreading rapidly. Published - August 29, 2026 08:38 pm IST