Video: The moment when Chennai Silks building came crashing down
- The Chennai Silks building in T-Nagar, Chennai collapsed after fire fighters couldn't control the blazing flames.
- The building's supporting pillars had weakened due to the fire and fire fighters suspected the building would collapse.
- Four floors of the building are gutted in the fire and the burnt parts have fallen over a restaurant and in the parking space behind the building.
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After plumes of smoke swelled and rose into the air for more than twelve hours, parts of The Chennai Silks building caved in on Usman Road in T. Nagar. Now, four floors of the textile shop are completely gutted in the fire which started as a result of an electric short circuit.
A recently shot video captures the moment when the building fell apart. The video clip captured roaring flames burst through the walls. The exterior facade of the textile shop crumbled and collapsed as a result of the heat. According to eyewitnesses, the building collapsed at 3.30am on Thursday morning. The burnt parts of the building reportedly fell on a restaurant and in the parking space behind the building, The Times of India quoted B Kannan, secretary of the T Nagar Residents Welfare Association, as saying.
The moment when #chennaisilksfire building collapsed pic.twitter.com/qZhXWoxtIz
— Newsitis (@Newsitis) June 1, 2017
The fire, which began at 4.30am on May 31, raged on and weakened the supporting pillars of the building. Fire fighters present at the scene suspected the building might collapse as a result of the fire. Until 2pm, the first two floors of the building were engulfed in a fire which didn’t weaken.
No end to these clouds of smoke from #chennaisilks Efforts on for 12 hours. pic.twitter.com/LKnjSYcwkg
— priyankathirumurthy (@priyankathiru) May 31, 2017
Chennai silks fire as seen from sky. @dhanyarajendran @sumanthraman @Ahmedshabbir20 pic.twitter.com/VzGWZ58xnO
— Ram kumar (@ramkumar1995) May 31, 2017
Fire @ #ChennaiSilks #Video pic.twitter.com/if3xm2K9zb
— Sathish Kumar M (@sathishmsk) May 31, 2017
During an earlier inspection, officials found that the building didn’t have enough fire safety precautions. In addition to this, The Chennai Silks had violated the building permission sought from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA. The company had permission to build only four floors. However, four more floors were added.
For the residents of T. Nagar, normal life was disrupted as a result of the fire that engulfed one of Usman Road's iconic buildings. Many living in the area faced power cuts, stench, and traffic jams. Residents couldn’t step outside and complained that the smoke affected their vision.