Major fire guts several shops in Kochi’s Broadway

A major fire broke out at Broadway, one of the busiest commercial streets in Kochi, in the early hours of Tuesday (December 30, 2025), gutting a toy shop completely and at least 10 other shops partially. No casualty was reported, though the blaze is estimated to have caused losses to the tune of lakhs of rupees.

The fire was extinguished by 11 units of firefighters from 10 fire stations in Ernakulam district. Happy Toys, a shop operating at Koluthara Bazaar, was destroyed in the fire, and the shops adjacent to it have been damaged. The gutted shop is reportedly owned by Sreejith, a native of Kunnamkulam in Thrissur district.

“The incident was reported to us by 1 am by one Vikram Rajputh and the fire was extinguished in an operation that lasted two hours. It is suspected that the blaze originated from a godown-like facility where waste materials, including empty covers, were kept,” Shanavas, T.S., assistant station officer, Club Road fire station, said.

He said a major tragedy was averted due to timely alert. “It seems workers were present at the building to stock up commodities to meet potential rush during New Year. Had the fire not been noticed instantly, it would have led to an uncontrollable situation,” he said.

Firefighting units from Club Road station, along with units from Gandhinagar, Aluva, Eloor, Mattancherry, Vypin, Aroor, North Paravur and Pattimattom, were involved in the rescue operation.

District Collector G. Priyanka visited the spot on Tuesday morning and took stock of the situation. Kochi Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy was present during the rescue works.

The fire broke out in less than a week since the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) ordered to temporarily shut down 12 shops at Mather Bazaar in Broadway for allegedly flouting safety norms. The DDMA ordered the Kochi Corporation to shut the establishments till they obtained certificates of safety from the Fire and Rescue Services department as well as the Electrical Inspectorate.