Fire ravages Glochem unit at Pharma City
TNNMay 31, 2013, 03.50AM IST
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VISAKHAPATNAM: In yet another incident that raises serious concerns over industrial safety in Visakhapatnam, a series of blasts caused by a chemical fire rocked the Glochem Industries Ltd export oriented active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) manufacturing unit at the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada on the outskirts of the Greater City.
The sounds of the explosions caused by the highly inflammable raw material could be heard at regular intervals by the people in half a kilometer radius while the flames were visible around 5 km away from the pharma city.
The sounds of the explosions caused by the highly inflammable raw material could be heard at regular intervals by the people in half a kilometer radius while the flames were visible around 5 km away from the pharma city.
Luckily there were no casualties or injuries in the fire that raged till late in the night at the Glochem facility at plot no 77 and covered the entire Pharma City with a heavy blanket of thick black smoke. It razed down four blocks A, B, C and D in the unit and one warehouse where all the raw material, some of which is explosive in nature, was stored. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained by the authorities.
According to sources the fire broke out in the 'B' block of the unit at around 4.30 pm when sodium hydrate chemical was being transported from 'B' block to another block. At the time of the incident more than 150 workers of the general shift were on the plant premises but only two workers were in the 'B' block. However, everyone in the unit was evacuated when the fire spreading to other areas. Lack of sufficient foam and use of water to douse the chemical fire resulted in the fire spreading throughout in the entire unit.
While some of the workers managed to save 150 drums of raw material from the warehouse, there was widespread panic as word spread that a solvent tank containing a highly explosive material could go off if the fire was not contained. More than 600 workers of the neighboring units at Pharma city gathered at the site. Eight fire tenders, including two foam tenders, were pressed into service to douse the fire, with a focus on the 25,000-liter concentrated chemical solvent tank on foam was sprinkled continuously to prevent it from becoming a major threat to people and establishments in a five-kilometer radius of the unit.
In fact, sources said the fire fighting operations were hampered after initial efforts of the state government fire safety wing used water to put out the fire but actually resulted in its spreading across the unit. It was only after the Joint Chief Inspector of Factories Chandra Sekhar Varma landed at the pharma city that they figured out that only dry chemical powder should be used. But as the powder was not available in large quantities it delayed fire fighting operations.
This is the second major fire to break out in the city within a fortnight after a fire at the Hindustan Petroluem Corporation Limited refinery at Malkapuram created panic on May 17. The fire accident, which is the fifth such major incident to rock the north coastal Andhra region in the last one year, took place in B block of the Glochem Industries limited, which makes active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or intermediates.
Even as the fire raged, allegations started flying thick and fast. AITUC district secretary B Venkata Rao blamed the blaze on the sheer negligence of the company management saying that they should have made a provision for adequate foam at the facility.District collector V Seshadri, who visited the spot to monitor the fire fighting efforts, told mediapersons that an inquiry would be conducted in the matter. He also said that the safety of over 20 highly hazardous factories in the district would be reviewed. Officials of Ramky, which set up Pharma City or its fire safety committee were not available for comments.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/glochem-factory-gutted-in-vizags-pharma-city/article4768548.ece
According to sources the fire broke out in the 'B' block of the unit at around 4.30 pm when sodium hydrate chemical was being transported from 'B' block to another block. At the time of the incident more than 150 workers of the general shift were on the plant premises but only two workers were in the 'B' block. However, everyone in the unit was evacuated when the fire spreading to other areas. Lack of sufficient foam and use of water to douse the chemical fire resulted in the fire spreading throughout in the entire unit.
While some of the workers managed to save 150 drums of raw material from the warehouse, there was widespread panic as word spread that a solvent tank containing a highly explosive material could go off if the fire was not contained. More than 600 workers of the neighboring units at Pharma city gathered at the site. Eight fire tenders, including two foam tenders, were pressed into service to douse the fire, with a focus on the 25,000-liter concentrated chemical solvent tank on foam was sprinkled continuously to prevent it from becoming a major threat to people and establishments in a five-kilometer radius of the unit.
In fact, sources said the fire fighting operations were hampered after initial efforts of the state government fire safety wing used water to put out the fire but actually resulted in its spreading across the unit. It was only after the Joint Chief Inspector of Factories Chandra Sekhar Varma landed at the pharma city that they figured out that only dry chemical powder should be used. But as the powder was not available in large quantities it delayed fire fighting operations.
This is the second major fire to break out in the city within a fortnight after a fire at the Hindustan Petroluem Corporation Limited refinery at Malkapuram created panic on May 17. The fire accident, which is the fifth such major incident to rock the north coastal Andhra region in the last one year, took place in B block of the Glochem Industries limited, which makes active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or intermediates.
Even as the fire raged, allegations started flying thick and fast. AITUC district secretary B Venkata Rao blamed the blaze on the sheer negligence of the company management saying that they should have made a provision for adequate foam at the facility.District collector V Seshadri, who visited the spot to monitor the fire fighting efforts, told mediapersons that an inquiry would be conducted in the matter. He also said that the safety of over 20 highly hazardous factories in the district would be reviewed. Officials of Ramky, which set up Pharma City or its fire safety committee were not available for comments.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/glochem-factory-gutted-in-vizags-pharma-city/article4768548.ece