Chemical factory up in flames

A fire broke out in a chemical factory in an industrial compound in Howrah’s Domjur.. Flames leapt across the compound, making the work of the firefighters and police difficult. 

A senior officer of Howrah City police said the factory stored inflammable chemicals like ethyl acetate and toluene, which aggravated the fire. Fire department officials confirmed that the chemicals stored in the factory were industrial solvents and inflammable. Fifteen fire tenders were pressed into action to bring the flames under control. After the fire was reported, it took several hours for the firefighters to approach the spot because of the tremendous heat generated by the flames.

“We were trying to fight the fire from a distance. We could only close in after the flames started to subside. The biggest challenge was the presence of the chemicals stored inside, as we could hear explosions inside,” said an officer of the fire services directorate.