20150806 India Fire destroys chemical factory in Kanpur
India Aug 06 2015 “Factories”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire destroys chemical factory in Kanpur
Updated: 2015-08-07-09:49
A chemical factory was destroyed in a fire in Pokharpurwa area in Chakeri on Thursday morning. No loss of life has been reported so far. Huge flames, followed by a powerful explosion in a chemical container left the residents panicky.
The intensity of fire was such that people from far off localities could see it raging in the sky and hundreds of them gathered outside the factory, hampering rescue operation.
As many as 15 fire tenders, including those from defence establishments, were pressed into service to douse the fire. It took more than three hours to extinguish the fire.
The gravity of the fire can be gauged from the fact that a large portion of the chemical factory and a portion of godown adjacent to it were gutted. The incident was reported to take place around 5.45 am. People living in the vicinity after coming across huge flames and a huge explosion climbed atop roofs to witness the incident.
Worried that fire may engulf the nearby houses, many people started shifting household items, including LPG cylinders and other combustible items to safer place.
Reports said that the spill of a chemical after a powerful explosion in the container made the task of the firemen more difficult.
Fire officer V P Singh told TOI that the exact cause of fire was yet to be ascertained. He did not rule out short-circuit as a case. Nothing was visible due to dense smoke. “Fortunately, there was no one present inside the factory when the fire broke out. We are now trying to figure out how the factory had caught fire,” he added.
The fire had also spread to the house of Pramod Jaiswal, a sibling of former Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, adjacent to the chemical factory.
The extent of the damage to the factory is yet to be ascertained, a district official said.
Web Source: The times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Fire-destroys-chemical-factory-in-Kanpur/articleshow/48385585.cms