Chennai, Oct 9 (IANS) Over Rs.10 million worth of goods were destroyed when an illegal warehouse near here caught fire, officials sources said. Over 16 fire tenders and 80 fire services personnel brought the fire under control after battling for over six hours, official sources said.

“The fire raged on for six hours and was uncontrollable since the warehouse apparently stocked material that could catch fire quickly,” a fire services official told reporters after the blaze was put out late Thursday.

“The warehouse, situated around 15 km from here, stored imported newsprint rolls, ink, and electronic goods among other things within a 500 metre radius of fuel tanks of public sector undertakings. We suspect foul play since it caught fire after a show cause notice was issued to demolish it,” S. Nagarajan, a local councillor said.

It was not immediately known whether there was any loss of life or the exact extent of damages since there were no records of materials stored, even though officials said the losses to goods would be in excess of Rs.10 million.

This is the second major fire around the state capital in two months. The earlier fire in a supermarket consumed goods worth Rs.30 million and two people lost their lives.