A routine boiler cleaning process in Rashtriya Chemical Fertilizers’ Chembur plant on Friday evening led to panic among residents. The police and fire brigade were called in to check but the police later confirmed it was not a disaster.
Around 6.20 p.m. on Friday, people heard a loud sound that lasted for several minutes, and saw a gas emission for a few seconds. They called the fire brigade and police fearing a fire or gas leak. Five fire engines were sent to the spot as precaution and RCF staffers stopped the ‘leakage’ from the boiler immediately. No casualty was reported.
“It appeared there was leakage in the urea plant but no fire. We were on standby for 45 minutes as a precautionary measure,” said assistant divisional fire officer H Girkar.
Shrikant Desai, senior police inspector, RCF Police station said, “There was no leakage. It is a routine process. The boiler’s pipeline gets clogged and to clear it, RCF has to release ammonia from it at a high pressure. This leads to noise and smell. People panicked and called emergency.”