Fire breaks out at Howrah paint factory, 18 injured 

SHIBPUR: At least 18 people suffered injuries as a major fire broke out at a paint factory in West Bengal's Howrah district on Wednesday afternoon, a fire department official said.

Two of those injured are in "serious" condition, having sustained 80 per cent burns, he said, adding that the blaze was first spotted at the manufacturing unit of Berger Paints in Shibpur around 1.40 pm.

The paints major, however, stated that 21 of its employees sustained injuries in their attempt to douse the fire. The cause of the fire is being probed, but preliminary investigation points to a short circuit in an AC unit.

The incident occurred near the exit gate with production area remaining completely unaffected, the release said.

"The fire was initially contained by the efforts of our team and was brought under complete control by the fire brigade. The best possible medical assistance is being provided to the injured employees caused by the unfortunate incident," Abhijit Roy, MD & CEO of Berger Paints, said.

Eight fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames. According to the fire department official, the situation was under control. Buildings adjacent to the factory were evacuated as part of the firefighting operations, he said.

"Workers were inside the factory when the fire started. While some managed to flee, at least 18 sustained injuries. Since it is a paint unit, there were several inflammable items," the official added.

State health department sources said that two critically injured individuals have been admitted to state-run SSKM Hospital, while the other 10 are undergoing treatment at CMRI hospital.

Fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose, who was monitoring the operation, said that a proper probe will be conducted into the mishap.