More than 15,000 chilli bags gutted
Guntur: More than 15,000 bags of chilli were gutted when fire broke out in VGT Cold Storage Unit at Kamakshi Nagar, near Guntur Mirchi Yard in city in the early hours of Thursday.
According to fire officials, fire broke out in the VGT Cold Storage Unit in the early hours and flames spread all over. Ten fire-tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the flames.
The fire brigade persons made a hole to the roof in the fifth floor of the cold storage and pumped water and brought the situation under control. While, cold storage unit contains 70,000 bags of chilli stocks; 35,000 bags of chilli stocks are in another portion of the unit and they are out of danger.
In the remaining 35,000 bags, fire brigade personnel can save 50% of the stocks. They got fire accident information at 3 a.m and immediately swung into action. Fire engines from Vijayawada, Guntur and Prakasam districts were pressed into service.
VGT Cold Storage Unit director Thimmasetti Nageswara Rao told media that 70,000 dry chillies were preserved in the cold storage by the farmers of Guntur, Prakasam, Krishna and Kurnool districts. The dry chillies were preserved in two separate divisions in the cold storage and fire destroyed one division. ``We have insured the stocks,’’ he said.
District Fire Officer V Srinivasa Reddy said, ``The exact loss in the fire accident is yet to be ascertained. Electrical short circuit was suspected to be the reason for the fire accident. No one was injured in the fire accident.”
As soon as fire accident information is reached, farmers from Malladi, Dharmavaram, Vinukonda, Bhimavaram, Dachepalli and Pedakurapadu rushed to the spot to know about the losses. A farmer K Venkateswarulu said he has preserved 100 bags of chilli stock in the VGT Cold Storage unit in Guntur. City . He shown his receipt given by the cold storage unit management. He demanded compensation for his stock.
A.Sambrajyam, she preserved 130 bags of chilli stock in the VGT Cold Storage Unit in the city. She cried for her chilli stock and demanded compensation. Another farmer Shaik Saida who hailed from Dachepalli said that he preserved 500 bags in the cold storage unit and worrying about his stock. He said, due to falling of prices of chillis he preserved stock in the cold storage unit.