Three workers were injured and property worth crores was damaged in a fire that broke out on Wednesday in a chemical company on Thane-Belapur Road.
The fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. at Alma Speciality Chemicals Pvt. Ltd and and spread to five nearby companies in Khairane MIDC: Vaishnavi Ester Pvt. Ltd, Excel Petroleum Pvt. Ltd, Narlabs, Proton biotech and Naik Enviro.
Surendra Chaudhary, a fire officer, said, “We reached the spot soon after we received a call at 2.35 a.m. We brought the fire under control by 6 a.m., and 90% of the cooling was done by 2 p.m. We have kept a fire tender on standby at the spot in case the fire spreads to the drains near these companies which are filled with chemicals. We used foam to douse the fire owing to the presence of chemical solvents in the companies.”
The injured were three workers on the night shift at Alma Speciality Chemicals: Mohammed Aslam Hussain (55), who has suffered 80% burns; Manikchand Gautam (25), who sustained 95% burns; and Rajendra Prasad Chavan (40), who suffered 35% burns. Another worker escaped unhurt.
Blast in glass column
Mr. Hussain and Mr. Gautam were taken to D.Y. Patil Hospital in Nerul and shifted to Airoli Burns Centre. They are said to be critical and will undergo surgery. Mr. Chavan is being treated at NMMC Hospital in Vashi.
Sub Inspector Sudhir Tengale of Turbhe MIDC police station said, “Prima facie it seems that when the workers were at the plant, a blast took place in the chemical reactor’s glass column and the liquid chemical caught fire. None of the injured are in a condition to give statements. Only after speaking to them can we find out the reason for the blast.”
Mr. Chaudhary said a survey conducted by the factory inspector, the police, fire officers and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company officials will reveal what caused the fire.
Fire tenders were sent from Khairane MIDC, Rabale MIDC, Nerul MIDC, Taloja MIDC, Vashi, Airoli, Nerul, Panvel, Mumbra, HPCL in Nerul, ONGC in Uran and Reliance Corporate Park to douse the fire.
