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Nashik: Jindal factory fire continues to smoulder for 2nd consecutive day
Fire brigade officials said that while a major portion of the fire had been brought under control, intermittent outbursts continued till Monday afternoon due to the volatility of the chemicals that caught fire
A day after a massive fire broke out inside the Jindal polyfilm factory located in Mundhegaon area of Nashik district, the blaze continued to ravage the factory on the second consecutive day on Monday as district fire brigade personnel tried to douse the flames in the face of highly inflammable chemicals smouldering inside the factory premises.
Nasik Municipal Corporation (NMC) fire department head Sanjay Bairagi said, “The fire is still on as there is a huge stock of chemical powder which is located deep inside the factory. It is located at a depth of 800 to 900 metres in the main premises which is causing major challenges for the firemen to reach the spot and douse all the flames. We had extinguished the fire yesterday itself but the chemicals which caught fire are causing the embers to reignite. Currently, we have three fire tenders and our entire staff present to monitor the live location.”
Fire brigade officials said that while a major portion of the fire had been brought under control, intermittent outbursts continued till Monday afternoon due to the volatility of the chemicals that caught fire. As the firemen stepped up efforts, the inferno was almost entirely brought under control but for the thick smoke that continued to billow from the facility till late evening Monday. As spraying water proved inadequate in the efforts to douse the fire, a mixture of foam and chemical powder was used to control the blaze.
Nashik (rural) superintendent of police Shahaji Umap said, “There was a shortage of foam yesterday and it was procured from Thane by the fire department and utilised for dousing the flames on Monday. The fire is still on but completely under control. We have begun an investigation into the incident, and it will take time before we come to any conclusion.”
Nashik divisional commissioner Radha Krishna Game said, “The fire dousing operation is still underway and our teams are constantly monitoring the situation. A probe has been ordered by the government which will reveal all the factors that led to the tragedy.”
Labour minister Suresh Khade who visited the site said, “Since there is a large amount of chemicals in the factory premises, foam is being used to control the fire.” Khade said that the exact number of workers present in the premises when the fire broke out will be found out as well as how many managed to escape and how many were trapped inside.
A massive fire had broken out following a boiler blast inside the Jindal polyfilm factory at around 11.30 am on Sunday, January 1, which left two dead and 17 others injured. The two deceased have been identified as Anjali Ram Kumar Yadav, 29, a resident of Uttar Pradesh; and Mahima Kumar, 23, a resident of Bihar while the injured have been admitted to various private hospitals. Of the injured, four have been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) where doctors have described their condition as critical. On Sunday, chief minister Eknath Shinde made an emergency visit to the hospital where the injured had been admitted and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs5 lakh to each of the deceased in the incident.
A day after the fire broke out, the Igatpuri police lodged a case of accidental death and fire in connection with the incident. The company has not issued any statement related to the incident so far.
