Massive fire at chemical factory; no casualties

Hyderabad: A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Nacharam area here Friday, leading to evacuation of people living in the adjoining buildings.

• The industry is located in residential area
• With the road leading to the factory being narrow, the firefighters face tough task in dousing flames
• Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, who visit the place of mishap, says the government is considering shifting chemical factories from the residential area

Thick black smoke enveloped the area but no causalities were reported, fire services officials said. “It's a residential area, with some factories. People living in the surrounding area were evacuated by authorities as huge flames erupted from the factory” said fire services officials.

The fire started at around 9 am and was brought under control by afternoon. The cause was still not known. "Fire-fighting operation is still continuing....we are using foam to control the fire.

Apart from four fire engines and three sophisticated vehicles, water tankers from the Municipal Corporation are also helping the operation," a senior fire services official said.

As there was no proper access to road for the vehicles to enter the premises, fire-fighters faced a tough task. Chemicals, such as capric acid, sulphuric acid and ethanol, were stored in drums inside the factory, which led the fire to spread quickly.

Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, who visited the spot, said the State government was considering shifting the chemical factories from the residential areas (such as this) and the process to identify such factories was on.