A fire broke out at a chemical processing unit in Dombivli on Tuesday. Though extensive damage to property is expected, no casualties were reported

The fire broke out at Metro Chemical Company in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Phase II, at around 12.46 p.m.

According to Santosh Kadam, Chief of Disaster Management, the fire began in a chemical drum, and the unit’s workers were immediately evacuated.

Senior Police Inspector (Zone III), Dombivli division, D.K. Choure, said the reason for the fire will only be known once fire fighting operations were over. “The fire started spreading from the first floor of the building,” Mr. Choure said. A total of 16 fire tenders and nine water tankers were pressed into service.

Shrikant Shinde, MP from Kalyan, said the factory had paints and other solvents. “We still do not know how much of the storage was permissible. All the factories have to work according to safety norms. We will look into it,” Mr. Shinde said.

Vinayak Londe, joint director of industrial safety, who reached the spot around 8 p.m., said cooling operations were on, and that the building was damaged. “The Abhinav Vidyalaya school in the neighbourhood curtailed classes in the afternoon due to the foul odour of chemicals released due to the fire. The workers and residents were immediately alerted and evacuated,” said Raju Nalawade, a resident of Splendor Villa Society, which is a kilometre away from the site of the fire.

Mr. Nalawade said a similar incident in May 26, 2016, had claimed 12 lives. “There are 250 chemical companies in Dombivali MIDC. These highly hazardous chemical companies should be shifted. An accident like today could have had harmful impact to the residents,” Mr. Nalawade said.