Fire mishap at Filter House building of  Visakhapatnam, workers escape  

Visakhapatnam: Even before recovering from the fire accident at Blast Furnace-3 on January 18, another fire broke out at Filter House Building at the Steel Melt Shop (SMS)-2 of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Monday.

Following the fire mishap, Ukkunagaram, the Township of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, gripped with panic for about two hours. As the reports came that there were no casualties or injuries, the workers and employees got a big relief.

According to the information, the fire broke out in the wee hours of Monday at the Filter House Building. Some of the workers who were nearby, alerted others and pressed the alarm for help.

The firefighting personnel of CISF rushed to the spot and after one-and-half hours efforts put out the flames. Though, no worker was injured in the two fire mishaps in three days, the workers and leaders of trade unions expressed their resentment and doubts over the safety standards in the steel plant.

The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, said in an official release that it is a minor mishap in Filter House Building near canteen area of SMS-2. There were no injuries nor was any equipment damage.

There was also no loss in production. Cause for the fire mishap is being investigated, the RINL management said. ``There will be some loss in any fire incident. The departmental inquiry committee will probe the incident and will assess the cause of the fire accident,” a senior official of RINL said.