Four persons were injured when a fire broke out in a chemical unit at Chandrapadia village, near Vinjamur, in SPSR Nellore district in the early hours of Wednesday.
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The fire extinguishing system in the pharma unit manufacturing pharmaceutical ingredients was immediately activated. The fire, which triggered a blast, was brought under control in about 30 minutes, said District Fire Officer K. Srikanth Reddy, who rushed to the spot.
The sudden increase in pressure while methanol was being loaded into the reactor caused the fire. “'The reactor has not suffered any damage,” the DFO said. The injured were rushed to a private hospital here. Later three of them in a serious condition were shifted to a hospital in Chennai for better treatment.
District Collector K.V.N. Chakradhara Babu, who visited the Venkata Narayana Active Ingredients Private Limited, along with Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Bhushan, ordered for its temporary closure.
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A probe was also ordered into the accident, Joint Collector V. Vinod Kumar said. A financial assistance of ₹10,000 was released to the injured by the government. The company manufactures niche APIs for the global market.