Paint worth around ₹80 lakh was destroyed in a hardware showroom in Pachal village near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur after fire broke out in the outlet on Wednesday.
The police said that it was around 5 a.m. when residents noticed thick smoke coming from the outlet. Immediately, they alerted shop owner R. Murugan, 56, and Jolarpet police. As residents tried to douse the flames, fire spread to the entire outlet, which is around 1,200 sq.ft.
A 10-member firefighters team from Tirupattur rushed to the spot. Before firefighters could reach the spot, fire spread to the entire facility. After more than an hour of hard labour, fire fighters doused the fire.
The police said most of the damaged goods in the outlet were paints and lubricants. A case was registered by Jolarpet police. The police said that an electrical short circuit could be the reason. Further probe is under way.