Mishap prevented after fire breaks out in paint company’s godown

VADODARA: A huge mishap was deterred on Tuesday midnight when a fire broke out in a godown of a paint company on Padamla-Ranoli Road near the city.
The fire broke out due to overheating of air-conditioner in the office attached to the godown. According to fire officials, the fire spread across the room through electric wires and other appliances also caught fire. There was a room in the office area where the servers and other equipment were placed so the air-conditioner was kept on.
Fire officials said that the flames had engulfed the entire office and it further spread to the godown where drums of paint were stocked. The company officials had initially sought help from Nandesari GIDC fire and fire teams of local industries, but as it took a major form, Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) was roped in. “By the time we reached, around 200 kilograms of stock had already caught fire so along with dousing fire we also had to move the remaining stock,” said Om Jadeja, fire officer, Chhani fire station. He added that one team was involved in moving the paint drums while the other team was controlling the fire using foam liquid.
Fire fighters took around two hours to completely douse the fire. Jadeja said that the company did not have fire-fighting systems despite storing stock in a huge amount. “There was no earth leakage circuit breaker which could have prevented of overheating of air-conditioner so we have asked the local authorities to send a notice to them,” he added. The company is located outside the area of Vadodara Municipal Corporation.
During the summer days, fire department received several calls related to overheating of air-conditioners resulting in short-circuit or blasts.