Thiruvananthapuram: A fire force official was killed while trying to douse a massive fire at a drug warehouse in Thumba KINFRA Industrial Park here on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Ranjith (32) from Attingal.

According to reports, Ranjith, an official of Chacka Fire Force unit was crushed to death when a portion of the building collapsed while dousing the flames. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries around 3.30 am.

Sources close to Fire Force revealed that Ranjith got trapped in the debris of the wall which collapsed during the attempts to extinguish the fire. A beam of the building collapsed and fell over the fireman when the fire force personnel reportedly tried to enter the building by breaking its shutter.

Though the fire is under control, massive smoke is billowing the area.

It is learnt that a fire broke out in the drug warehouse of Kerala Medical Service Corporation around 1.30 am on Tuesday with a huge explosion. Sources hinted that the flames erupted after bleaching powder kept in the warehouse caught fire.

Latest reports confirmed that the Fire Force completely doused the fire after hours-long efforts. A building which stored chemicals was gutted in the fire. It is learnt that mediciens were not destroyed in the fire accident, 

Meanwhile, a mystery looms over the fire accident as the drug warehouse of the KMSCL in Kollam was also gutted in a major fire on Wednesday night. Health Minister Veena George confirmed that medicines and materials worth around Rs 8 crore were destroyed in the fire in Kollam.