Chennai: A huge fire broke out at the Tech Mahindra premises, located in Chennai’s busy Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), forcing an immediate emergency response and evacuation of employees from the building.
The fire, which started in a godown, spread within minutes. As a thick black cloud of smoke leapt high into the sky, alarms were raised immediately.
Fire tenders rushed to the spot soon after the blaze was reported, and officials said the situation was brought under control.
All employees at the premises were safely evacuated. Thankfully, none was seriously injured.
The godown stored old computers, monitors, plastic waste and other electronic goods.
The location of the fire, on OMR Road near Sholinganallur, triggered panic in the bustling IT corridor of Chennai. With the fire breaking out in the middle of the day, when the offices were well populated, authorities had to evacuate thousands of employees through various exits to avoid panic.
A massive fire broke out at a godown in Tech Mahindra, Sholinganallur, On friday. Fire and Rescue Services personnel said electrical items were gutted in the blaze. Teams from the Thuraipakkam fire station are working to douse the fire and control the thick black smoke. No… pic.twitter.com/QgHRTao5xR
— Rajalakshmi sampath (@Rajalakshmi2398) May 15, 2026
With fire tenders rushing from Thiruvanmiyur, Thoraipakkam, Medavakkam and Guindy stations, and emergency vehicles heading to the site, there was heavy traffic clogging across the OMR corridor for several hours.
Police investigation is underway, but initial indications point to an electrical short circuit.
