Fire breaks out at parking lot, over 170 cars gutted in TN
Chennai, Feb 24: Over 170 cars were gutted Sunday when a major fire swept through a parking lot at a suburban neighbourhood, with thick columns of black smoke engulfing the entire area, inconveniencing the people and causing anxiety.
Some vehicles that had gas in fuel tanks exploded, but no one was injured, a fire service official said.
"The blaze is suspected to have been triggered after tall dried grass caught fire by a discarded smouldering cigarette butt," a suburban Fire and Rescue Services official told PTI.
Of the total 208 parked cars, 176 were gutted and 32 were "saved from the fire," he said.
The cars were parked "bumper to bumper" in close proximity and is suspected to have been one of the reasons for the blaze having spread so quickly.
The parking lot is situated bang opposite a large private sector medical college and hospital at suburban Porur.
Several road users and local residents said huge colums of smoke billowed out of the facility, causing anxiety and inconvenience.
The impact of the fire could have been much more if the parked vehicles had petrol in fuel tanks, the fire official said.
Seven fire tenders and four water tankers were deployed to fight the blaze and it took about four hours to douse the flames, he said.
Initial enquiries revealed that fire had broken out on at least three occasions in the past in the same premises, he said.
The watchman of the facility fled from the premises following the blaze and alerted the authorities.
"Since tyres and plastics went up in flames it led to thick fumes of smoke."
Asked if the cars were new or if it was only a parking lot run by some commercial firms, the official said "an enquiry is on by police....
...it seems to be a mix of cars; some cars are reportedly used ones seized for non-payment of EMI and others are said to be new, some unsold vehicles..authorities are questioning some persons and a full picture will emerge later."
The incident was similar to the one at the Aero-India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station at Bengaluru Saturday, where about 300 cars in the parking area were gutted.
No casualties were reported in that blaze, which too was suspected to have been caused by dry grass fire aided by heavy winds.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
