DHARMAPURI: A fire gutted a three-storey building on the Netaji Bypass Road in Dharmapuri on Wednesday, disrupting traffic for nearly three-and-a-half hours.The blaze erupted at the establishment, owned by K Venkatachalam, near Pidamaneri road junction around 4 pm. Flames spread rapidly through the building, sending thick black smoke into the air and causing panic among residents and motorists.Two fire tenders initially reached the site. “Firefighters brought the flames partially under control after nearly an hour, but four additional tenders were deployed as the building continued to burn,” said an officer from the Dharmapuri town fire station. Municipal tankers supplied water for the operation. The fire was brought under control by 7.30pm.Traffic on the Dharmapuri-Salem and Salem-Dharmapuri stretches of the bypass came to a halt. Dharmapuri town police erected barricades near Dharmapuri Government Medical College Hospital and Adhiyaman Government Boys Higher Secondary School to divert vehicles.Congestion spread to Sitha Veerappa Chetty Street, Arumugam Achari Street, Vakkil Street, Four Roads Junction, Mohammed Ali Club Road and SV Road. Two ambulances were caught in the gridlock near Rajagopal Park.
