One man was killed and two others suffered major burns when a government building on the Marina beach road caught fire, the authorities said.
The casualties occurred when around 120 fire brigade personnel went to the building's first storey, which caved in along with other structures.
The Ezhilagam Complex houses government departments. The fire destroyed important files belonging to the Department of Industries and Commerce and Social Welfare.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced a compensation of Rs.200,000 to the family of Anbazhagan who died in the fire.
She also announced Rs.25,000 each for Ravichandran and Murugan, who were injured seriously, and Rs.10,000 for Prabhakaran who suffered minor burns.