Though the limestone structure remains, the wooden ceiling, teak staircases and interiors were gutted
Residents told TOI the fire was first noticed around 6.30pm, with flames emerging from the left side of the roof on the top floor. Guests staying in the building were evacuated and no casualties were reported. A short circuit is suspected to have caused the fire, though this has not been officially confirmed.
In a statement, the Navy said it joined the operation at the request of the Kochi city police commissioner. “Through coordinated and sustained efforts by the responding agencies, the fire has been brought under control,” the statement said. Though the limestone structure remains, the wooden ceiling, teak staircases and interiors were gutted, and these wooden elements made it difficult for fire and rescue personnel to contain the blaze. The extent of the damage has not been assessed. The hotel’s maintenance staff were the first to spot it. Six fire units initially reached the spot, but when they could not put out the fire, district officials sought units from across Ernakulam. Fire engines from the Navy and Coast Guard later joined the operation, and the fire was brought under control by 9pm. The Southern Naval Command deployed defence fire tenders from INS Dronacharya, INS Venduruthy and INS Garuda.
Kochi : Koder House, a 19th-century mansion in Fort Kochi, considered a symbol of the city’s Jewish heritage, was badly damaged in a fire on Tuesday evening.
Samuel S Koder, from an illustrious Jewish family of Cochin, bought and renovated the building in 1905, giving it its present structure. His daughter, Queenie Hallegua, the last female elder of the Paradesi Jewish community in Kochi, who passed away in 2024, also stayed in this building,” said Thaha Ibrahim, a Fort Kochi resident who shared close bonds with the community’s last remaining members, including Hallegua. “Samuel Koder owned the place.