Daijiworld Media Network - Varkala

Varkala, Dec 11: Panic gripped tourists and locals on Wednesday afternoon as a major fire engulfed the Calaila Boutique Stay resort on the North Cliff in Varkala, partially destroying the structure.

The blaze broke out around 1.56 pm, but thankfully, no casualties were reported. All guests at the resort managed to escape safely. Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the site, but narrow access roads prevented a full-sized fire tender from reaching the location. Mini-tenders were deployed from two nearby stations to tackle the flames. Firefighters battled the fire until 4 pm, managing to save a portion of the building.

Preliminary reports suggest the fire started after resort workers burned garbage on the premises. Strong winds caused the flames to spread quickly, damaging nearby structures. A fire official stated, “We were able to save the ground floor of the building. We had to source water from a nearby pool to douse the flames.”