Overview
- A large fire tore through a Tech Mahindra storage unit inside the ELCOT SEZ at Karapakkam on Chennai’s Old Mahabalipuram Road, and crews say the flames are contained with cooling work underway.
- Police and company officials reported a full evacuation of thousands of workers from the campus and nearby offices, and no injuries have been recorded.
- Early accounts conflict on the ignition source, with police reports pointing to either an electrical short inside the warehouse or sparks from welding work, and a formal investigation is in progress.
- The godown held discarded electronics such as old computers, monitors and plastic waste, which burn hot and release dense smoke that spread across the IT corridor and nearby neighborhoods.
- Multiple fire tenders from Thiruvanmiyur, Thoraipakkam, Medavakkam and Guindy responded after on‑site alarms and extinguishers were used, and traffic slowed as smoke and emergency vehicles crowded OMR.