A chemical unit involved in the manufacture of raw materials for cosmetics was destroyed in a blaze early Friday morning at the IDA, Nacharam. The massive blaze triggered due to suspected mishandling of chemicals, and raged for nearly eight hours despite the fact that firemen reached the spot within minutes of being informed about it at 9.15 a.m. from their nearby fire station.
Minor injuries
Three workers sustained minor injuries in the mishap at the company named Salicylates and Chemicals, and property worth Rs.5 crore is believed to have been destroyed.
“At around 9.15 a.m., we got a call about the fire. The industry has solvents like alcohol, methanol, etc., which are used to make cosmetic powders. These chemicals and sulphuric acid are kept in drums, which were being taken from the godown, when one of them fell down accidentally triggering fire. We rushed our men immediately to the spot,” said Papaiah Verla, Regional Fire Officer, Hyderabad.
Mr. Verla said that the flames were difficult to put out as it was very windy. To douse the fire, about 50 fire fighters worked from morning till about 5.40 p.m., with the help of 50 water tankers which were supplied by the Water Board. “There were a lot of chemicals inside. We were told that the fire has resulted in a loss of Rs. 5 crore, but we are yet to conduct an assessment,” he added
Six fire tenders deployed
To tackle the flames, six fire tenders and one hazmat vehicle, which has specialised functions, were rushed. Mr. Verla stated that one of the reasons the operation took so long was that there was no access inside the premises. “We had to spray water from a distance. The owner of the industry will be held responsible and action will taken against him,” he said.
