Raipur: Massive Fire Breaks Out at State-run CSPDCL Storing Electrical Equipment Worth Rs 50 Cr

A massive fire broke out at a power distribution company in the Kota area of Raipur, Chhattisgarh on Friday.

Several police officials and fire personnel soon reached the spot to douse the fire.

Meanwhile people staying near the power distribution company soon started vacating their homes.

No casualties were reported due to the blaze.

A 132 KV power substation is located next to the storage facility, and efforts were made to prevent the blaze from spreading there as it could affect power supply to parts of the city, officials said.

However, transformers and electrical equipment worth around Rs 50 crore were gutted in the fire at the storage facility of the state-owned Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL).

The fire, which broke out between 1:30 pm and 2 pm, was brought under control after about eight hours, a statement released by the company said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Singh said that as many as 30 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.

Around 4,000 transformers, meters, conductors and other electrical machinery and equipment were stored at the facility spread over eight acres. Fire tenders of the Raipur Municipal Corporation, Raipur Airport, Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), industries of Urla and Siltara in Raipur were called in to fight the blaze, the statement said.

Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Power Companies and secretary of the state energy department P Dayanand, Raipur collector Gaurav Sharma, SSP Santosh Singh and other senior officials reached the spot soon after learning about the fire and issued necessary directives to ensure safety of the people in the area and prevent the fire from spreading, it added.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also visited the spot.

An enquiry will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire, he told reporters, adding that there was no loss of lives and the personnel engaged in fire-fighting handled the situation deftly. Residents of around 40 houses in the vicinity were evacuated as a precautionary measure, he said.

(with ANI and PTI inputs)