Blaze engulfs Padra perfume factory

Vadodara: Residents of Dabhasa village of Padra taluka woke up to a massive fire that broke out in a unit manufacturing perfumes and sprays on Tuesday.
Firefighters from different areas of Vadodara district took around 17 hours to bring the fire under control.

According to fire department officials, fire started in the production area of Aroma De France company around 3 am. The company manufactures deodorants and perfumes for leading Indian brands. The fire spread quickly across the unit as the alcohol tank was near the production which led to further spread.

“There was huge stock of alcohol in the tank and once it caught fire, it was difficult to douse,” said a fire official. Besides the alcohol tank, around 500 ton of manufactured stock was also engulfed. The fire led to huge smoke clouds bellowing in the sky which could be seen from several kilometers away. The flames also engulfed a part of saw mill which shared common wall with the fragrance manufacturing company.

As the situation became critical, Vadodara rural police had to close down the Padra-Jambusar highway for vehicular traffic. Sources said that once the highway closed, firefighters could approach the company from all directions by bringing down the compound walls.

By late evening the fire was almost under control when a slab of one of the buildings of the company collapsed due to extreme heat. “Huge stock was stored on the second floor about which we were not informed. It was a blast due to which fire again took bigger form,” said Sudhir Gadhavi, fire officer of Emergency Response Centre. He added that 25 firemen had a narrow escape when the slab came down.

“A preliminary enquiry will be conducted to know the cause of fire and whether there was any lapse on the company’s side. After the enquiry is over, administration will decide about the action that needs to be taken,” said sub-divisional magistrate Gargi Jain.

Almost two dozen fire tenders from Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services, Emergency Response Center, Karjan and Padra municipalities, GSFC, ONGC and other companies were dispatched to control the fire.