A major fire erupted early Tuesday morning on Broadway, one of Kochi’s busiest commercial streets. The blaze destroyed Happy Toys, a shop in Koluthara Bazaar, completely and caused partial damage to at least 10 nearby shops. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Firefighters from 11 units across 10 fire stations in Ernakulam district battled the fire for two hours before bringing it under control. The toy shop, owned by Sreejith from Kunnamkulam, Thrissur, reportedly caught fire in a storage area filled with waste materials and empty covers. Assistant Station Officer Shanavas, T.S., said the fire was reported at 1 am by a local named Vikram Rajputh. He added, "Had the fire not been noticed instantly, it would have led to an uncontrollable situation." Teams from multiple fire stations, including Club Road, Gandhinagar, Aluva, and others, joined the firefighting efforts. District Collector G. Priyanka and Kochi Deputy Mayor Deepak Joy visited the site on Tuesday morning to assess the damage. The losses from the fire are estimated to be in lakhs of rupees. This fire comes less than a week after the District Disaster Management Authority ordered the temporary shutdown of 12 shops at nearby Mather Bazaar for safety violations. The order required shops to get safety certificates from the Fire and Rescue Services department and the Electrical Inspectorate before reopening. The quick response prevented what could have been a major tragedy during the busy New Year stocking period.