A godown, where around 1,800 cans of chemicals used to manufacture sanitisers and paint thinners were stored, caught fire on Tuesday around 11 a.m. in Bapuji Nagar. It took 200 Fire Services personnel and 15 tenders over eight hours to bring the blaze under control, but not before some of the barrels started exploding one after the other around 6 p.m. causing panic among residents.
“Fortunately, four employees who were at the godown rushed out to safety before the fire engulfed the entire premises,” said a Fire Services official, adding that the godown was around 1,000 st ft. A resident, Ahmed, who was one of the first to reach the spot when he saw the blaze, alerted the control room and helped the employees escape. However, six personnel including three fire officers were injured while tackling the blaze and are in hospital.
The godown is located in a congested residential area, and police personnel were deployed to evacuate residents as thick black smoke engulfed the area.
‘Barrels started exploding’
Though the cause of the accident is not clear yet, a preliminary investigation revealed that one of the barrels containing the chemical fell down and caught fire. It started to spread to other barrels which began to explode, said fire officials.
They admitted that the outcome would have been much worse as there were a few cylinders in the godown, but they were removed before the fire spread.
Panic gripped residents of adjacent buildings who were evacuated by the police. LPG cylinders were also removed from their houses and power supply was disconnected to prevent further damage.
“The major challenge before the fire fighters team was to safeguard adjacent buildings. Many overhead tanks melted due to heat and one building developed cracks,” said a senior official.
Two houses adjacent to the factory caught fire, and furniture on their terraces were destroyed.
