Fire breaks out at pharma unit in Palghar, no injuries

A major fire at a drug manufacturing company in Palghar MIDC caused significant damage, with no injuries reported. Firefighters battled the blaze for four hours.

Palghar: A major fire broke out at a drug manufacturing company in Palghar MIDC on Sunday afternoon. No injuries were reported, and all workers were moved out of the premises before the fire spread across the factory.

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According to officials, the fire in the manufacturing company — Sapphire Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. — is said to have originated from the packing material stores. The Tarapur MIDC fire engine reached the spot of fire by 3:20 pm, but till then the fire had spread to the entire factory.

Several small and big blasts were heard during the fire, suspected to be solvent in the factory. The air conditioner compressors, other inflammable materials, including PVC wires and panels, and packing material, spread the fire quickly.

The fire was brought under control after four hours. Two Fire engines from Tarapur MIDC, one each from BARC Tarapur, Adani Power Plant (Dahanu) and Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation have reached out to help with the firefighting process. The firefighters could not go into the premises as material was found stacked in the pathway.

The factory was completely burnt down, and the workers lost their personal belongings along with cash and mobiles in the fire. A few vehicles parked outside the factory premises also were burned.