Major fire engulfs footwear showroom in Kochi

Kochi, Feb 20 (IANS) A massive fire engulfed a showroom-cum-godown of a premier footwear company here in Kerala on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported.The fire at the Paragon Footwear building was first reported around 9.30 a.m. Fire tenders began battling the flames. The showroom is located close to the Ernakulam South railway station. Work on Kochi Metro nearby was also stopped. Local legislator Hibi Eden said the authorities were doing their best to control the blaze, with fire tenders from the Cochin Shipyard also pitching in."We're concerned about the safety of the building, which has chances of collapsing," said Eden.A company official told IANS that all the employees had been taken out safely. Preliminary estimates reveal a loss of over Rs 4 crore, he added.
--IANS sg/rtp/mr