Chemical factory gutted in Dera Bassi; no casualty so far

Tribune News Service

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, April 8

A major fire gutted a chemical factory on the Gulabgarh-Behera road in Dera Bassi Monday afternoon. No loss of life or injury has been reported so far. The health department, police and administration teams reached the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

More than 20 fire tenders from Dera Bassi, Zirakpur, Rajpura, Patiala, Ambala, and Chandigarh were pressed into action to douse a raging inferno that lasted more than three hours. Panic spread in the area as loud explosions followed by clouds of black smoke starting erupting from Maggo Chemical & Pharmaceuticals around 3 pm. Putrid smell of burnt chemical made the rescue work difficult.

Dera Bassi ASP Vaibhav Chaudhary said, “Fire tenders from ammunition depot, nearby industrial units were rushed to the spot. The exact number of casualties and cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. A probe will begin once the fire is doused.”

Mohali ADC Viraj S Tidke, Dera Bassi SDM Himanshu Gupta, Tehsildar Birkaran Singh and Dera Bassi SHO Ajitesh Kaushal reached the spot. Fire Officer Jaswant Singh said 80 per cent fire was contained till 6 pm and efforts are going on to extinguish any remaining hotspots.

“There have been no reported casualties or injuries and the surrounding communities are not at immediate risk. The administration is working closely with the management of Maggo Chemical & Pharmaceutical to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to address the aftermath of fire effectively,” said Viraj S Tidke, adding that an investigation into the cause of the fire has been initiated with a thorough inquiry to determine the factors contributing to this incident. “We will work in collaboration with relevant regulatory bodies to enforce safety protocols and prevent similar occurrences in the future,” he said.

The spent solvent recovery unit is located in the outskirts of the village surrounded by fields. Nearby habitation was vacated as loud explosions of chemical-filled drums rocked the area. Locals said a fire incident was reported in the unit last year also.

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