Koder House fire may have originated in adjacent building, finds Electrical Inspectorate

CCTV footage and mobile phone videos showing fire spreading from the terrace of an adjacent building to Koder House, which was gutted last week, have emerged, providing clues to the cause of the blaze.

According to preliminary findings of the Electrical Inspectorate (EI), the fire that gutted Koder House, an 1808 heritage building in Fort Kochi converted into a luxury boutique hotel, is suspected to have originated in an adjacent heritage property. It may have been caused by a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit before spreading to combustible materials stored on the terrace, including tarpaulins. However, the exact cause can be ascertained only after a detailed scientific examination, according to EI officials.