Fire dept declares 28 saw mills in city unsafe

Nagpur: The fire and emergency services department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has declared 28 saw mills in the city unsafe due to lack of firefighting systems. The department has also sealed premises of five saw mills.
Many fire incidents had been reported at saw mills within the city limits in the recent past, following which the fire department conducted inspections. As per the survey reports, the highest number of unsafe saw mills (16) are under Kalamna fire station. It is followed by 10 under Lakadganj fire station and two under Cotton Market station.
“During inspections, it came to fore that most of the saw mills lack firefighting systems. Since they are situated within city limits, there is risk of fire to even residential areas,” said a senior officer.
Past incidents show preventive measures can greatly reduce the fire risk at saw mills. “Even so, saw mills often fail to take the necessary steps to prevent fires,” he said.
One of the reasons for saw mills lacking fire fighting systems is that they were established a long time ago and were then outside the city limits. Citing an example, the officer pointed out the saw mills in Lakadganj area were once on the city’s outskirts. “With growing population and city’s expansion, most of them are now well inside the city limits. Many residential apartments too have come up closer to the saw mills, endangering both life and property,” he said.
Inspections of the premises of saw mills reveal that fire alarm and sprinkler systems tend to be few and far between. Also, wood is stored in the open space between buildings or firewalls are being rendered ineffective by unprotected openings.
Following this revelations, the department has declared 16 saw mills under Kalamna jurisdiction unsafe and asked the owners to vacate the premises. The department has also asked the electric department and water works department to disconnect power and water connections to the premises.
Similar actions were also initiated in Lakadganj and Cotton Market areas. When TOI visited many of the saw mills, they were still operational, implying that the notices served by the fire department have failed to make any impact.