Bantwal : Three shops and a telephone exchange at Pariyaladka junction in Punacha were destroyed in a fire that broke out in the early hours of May 2, Thursday. The loss has been estimated at several lakhs of rupees.

The building  where the shops were located was owned by one UT Moosa Kunhi. It was the watchman of the telephone exchange Timmanna who first noticed the fire on hearing a sound and raised an  alarm.

The fire is learnt to have engulfed several electronic equipment including batteries, even the explosion of LPG cylinders  further aggravated the problem. The Lisa Fancy, Anushree home products and caterers and the Jalalia Hotel too were gutted.

The Puttur fire service vehicles rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.