INDIA. Mumbai: A large fire broke out following LPG cylinder blasts in a company making lab equipment in the Wagle Estate neighbourhood of Thane, near Mumbai, late Saturday night, gutting over 13 shops and damaging property worth millions of rupees.
Around 10:09 pm, a fire broke out in the Silica Scientific Works facility, which is located at Plot No. A-202, Road No. 29, in Ambika Nagar.
More cylinders detonated after the first Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder exploded, and the fire spread to 12 other shops and small businesses in the area. The owner of the company was identified as Akshay Kadam.
Nine explosives were heard in the region, according to the Thane Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), and an inquiry into the source of the blasts is underway. The fire, however, did not result in any injuries.
Avinash Sawant, chief of RDMC told Transcontinental Times, “There had been blasts of LPG cylinders in Silica Scientific Works Laboratory, which produces raw materials for laboratories. We doused the fire in an hour and the cooling operation was in progress. Over 13 shops were gutted in the fire and we are yet to assess the total damage. Once the cooling operation is completed, we will investigate further.”
Two firefighting trucks, two water tankers, a rescue van, and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) officials hurried to the scene as soon as the fire broke out.
However, the fire brigade personnel found difficulty in dousing operations due to narrow alleys. Besides the explosion of gas cylinders created panic in the locality, with several residents running out of their houses.
The electricity supply to Ambika Nagar was briefly interrupted shortly after the incident. There was no loss of life because the area is business and offices were closed. The fire, thankfully, did not spread to the adjoining slum community.
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