Two chemical units gutted in fire

SANGAREDDY: In a major fire mishap in Pashamailaram Industrial Development Area on Sunday, two chemical units were completely gutted while three more units were partially damaged. Though there was no loss of life till last reports came in, one worker was critically injured while six others suffered minor injuries. Fire service personnel had to fight for more than five hours to bring the flames under control. The flames spread from one unit to other within minutes as drums filled with inflammable solvent flew from one premises to other due to a series of blasts. As the units caught fire one after another, workers and staff ran helter-skelter to save their lives.The flames started in Rantus Pharmaceuticals in Pashamailaram IDA, which houses scores of units dealing with chemicals and pharmaceuticals around 2 p.m. According to inspector of factories K Srinivasa Rao, police officials and eye-witnesses, flames erupted in the reactor reportedly due to excess pressure. “The staff tried to douse the flames at the initial stage but could not control them as fire spread rapidly. With the fire rampaging through the unit, workers ran out to save their themselves,’’ an eye-witness said. Within minutes, 17 other reactors in the unit caught flames and the entire unit came down. A worker, Yadav was seriously injured and shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad. “Yadav suffered severe injuries as glass pieces pierced into his body. Five others, R Srinivasa Rao, Sriram, Javed, Abhishek and Giri also suffered injuries but their condition is stable,’’ officials said. A total of six fire tenders were rushed and the fire doused by 7 p.m.