Chips shop gutted

TRIPUNITHURA: Odees, a shop selling chips at Statue Junction, was gutted in a fire on Saturday afternoon. The mishap occurred when  the shopkeeper poured water into the vessel containing oil -  used to fry chips- after it caught fire.  The Tripunithura Fire and Rescue Service personnel rushed to the spot to put out the fire . “It was only because of Saturday’s motor strike that the fire force could reach the spot quickly,” said Anilkumar, a witness. The sides of the small stretch of road from Statue Junction to Tripunithura Junction is normally encroached by illegal vehicle parking making traffic flow difficult.