Three fire tenders were sent to the spot and took more than an hour to douse the flames. An adjacent building, which houses a scanning centre, has also been gutted in the incident, reported The New Indian Express. Fire personnel said they managed to rescue around 25 people.
Although the exact cause of the blaze is not yet known, reports said the crackers caught fire after they were unloaded from a truck. Officials told The New Indian Express that preliminary investigation hinted at negligence on the part of the godown owner.
Sivakasi, which is a firecracker manufacturing hub, has faced similar mishaps in the past as well. In 2012, as many as 38 people were killed and scores injured when a fire broke out in a cracker factory. This year, there have been already been reports of minor incidents. Diwali will be celebrated on October 31 all over India.
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