Shop owners at Koluthara Bazaar, where a fire broke out on December 30, 2025 that completely destroyed a toy shop and partially damaged at least 10 other shops, have started installing fire-fighting mechanisms to prevent future accidents. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
A month after a major fire destroyed several stores on Broadway, the area has yet to see any significant change in terms of fire safety preparedness.
While authorities have yet to provide any information on a specific plan to keep the street safe from potential fires, steps have yet to be initiated to decongest the roads, which remain the biggest challenge for firefighters navigating the street in an emergency.
Although the District Collector has directed Kerala Water Authority (KWA) officials to install fire hydrants on Broadway without delay, a key requirement for firefighting, the project remains in its initial stage. KWA has received a proposal to install the system at Broadway along with two other locations and officials are preparing an estimate, official sources said.
In the case of Broadway, a KWA official raised doubts about the effectiveness of the fire hydrant because the area has only intermittent water supply. “It would be better to connect the hydrant to the existing water source nearby rather than depending on the KWA pipeline,” the official said.
A representative of the Fire and Rescue Service said that it was difficult to lay pipes through the congested streets in a short time.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers at Koluthara Bazaar, where a fire broke out on December 30, 2025 that completely gutted a toy shop and partially damaged at least 10 other shops, have started installing fire-fighting mechanisms to prevent future accidents, a shopkeeper said.
Shortly after the fire, Mayor VK Minimol announced a special drive to remove trash piled up on the streets, which poses a fire risk. “The area around the market has already been cleaned. Stakeholders have been instructed to bring to our attention any cases of garbage accumulation they come across,” the mayor said.
Scrap gutted
In an unrelated incident, a fire broke out near Ernakulam South Bridge on Saturday. Fire brigade units from Club Road and Gandhi Nagar stations extinguished the fire in the afternoon. No casualties were reported.
Published – 31 Jan 2026 20:27 IST
