Sangareddy, May 13: Residents in Pasamylaram industrial area ran in panic as a production unit in a nearby chemical factory went up in flames as one of its reactors caught fire. The entire unit was gutted in the mishap. No causalities were reported.
According to sources, Ogene Systems (P) Ltd bought a shut down unit and resumed production after renovation pending permission from the government for the same, according to inspector of factories Radhakrishna.
According to eye witnesses, the mishap occurred at 1:00 p.m here today when toulene, an inflammable liquid was being transferred from one reactor to the other.
Workers’ efforts to put out the fire went in vain. Soon the flames spread to other four reactors each of which were filled with 200 kg liquid, triggering explosions. Panicked residents ran helter skelter.
On a tip-off, police and inspector of factories rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control by the evening by pressing into service fire engines from Sangareddy, Patancheru, Jeedimetla and Narsapur.
he officials had a sigh of relief as none of the workers were injured in the mishap. As for the loss, inspector of factories maintained that it was too early to estimate the loss until the situation was brought under control.
–Agencies