On Saturday morning, May 3, a huge fire started at a warehouse in Karur, Tamil Nadu. Arivazhagan Venkatachalam’s warehouse sustained significant damages as the fire destroyed drip irrigation equipment valued at several lakhs. According to the news agency, the warehouse included agricultural supplies including cables, pipes, and motors.

Following the villagers’ distress call, local police and fire engines raced to the scene and attempted to put out the flaming fire. Police in Chinthamanipatti are looking into what caused the event. As the fires burn, a massive cloud of black smoke can be seen spreading around the region in a video released by the news agency X. You can see the smoke from a few kilometers away.

At the same time, the Tamil Nadu Thermal Power Station (TTPS) in Tuticorin had another fire. Authorities had to close three of the five apartments because of the fire. Firefighters battled to put out the fire for 12 hours until they were able to do so.

With five units, each capable of producing 210 MW, TTPS can produce 1,050 MW in total. With the exception of Unit 2, which was on standby, every unit is operating. The 6.6KV internal power supply at the Tamil Nadu Thermal Power Station was disrupted by a station switchgear rupture at around 10 p.m. on Saturday, causing Unit 1 to trip.

Unit 3 also experienced tripping as a result of the fire at Unit 1. Authorities at the facility reported that a significant fire broke out in the cable gallery after smoke was seen in the switchgear of Unit 1.