Jaipur: Fire breaks out at chemical factory

JAIPUR: A major fire broke out at a chemical factory near Harmada area of the city on Thursday early morning.
At least 16 fire tenders were pressed into service even as the police cordoned off the area. The power supply to the areas was snapped to stop the blaze from escalating. The fire officials informed TOI that fire ripped through the factory even as the sounds of explosions reverberated through the area.
The officials said that the fire began at a 4.30 am, possibly due to some electric short-circuit. The blaze swept through the entire building including the basement. “The explosions were due to chemical drums that were kept inside the building. No one was hurt in the incident as workers no present at the time when the fire had broken out,” an official told TOI, adding that the fire was brought control after several hours of fire-fighting.
The officials said that the incidents of fire due to short-circuits have increased over the past two weeks due to soaring temperatures. “Many a times old electric cables trigger short-circuits or goes up in flames. Many factories in Jaipur are operating sans proper fire safety equipment,” said an official.
In a similar incident, fire had broken out inside a gym in Chitrakoot Nagar area of the city. Fire tenders rushed to the area and the people were quickly rescued. The fire was doused in a couple of hours.