Jindal Polyfilms Fire Continues To Smoulder For Fourth Day, 90% Production Hit

A fire that broke out on Tuesday at a plant operated by Jindal Poly Films Ltd.'s subsidiary in Maharashtra's Nashik continued to smoulder after 54 hours, on Friday. This has impacted 90% production at the plant, NDTV Marathi reported.

The villages close to the factory have also been evacuated as the fire continues. The NDRF and CBRN teams have been trying to control the fire but have not been successful yet. According to NDTV Marathi's report, the fire brigade teams from Thane, Pune and other districts are also present at the scene.

Since it is a crude petroleum product, when water is added, oxygen and hydrogen are produced, which further inflames the fire, so the fire brigade has to use foam to control the fire. All precautions are being taken to prevent the fire from reaching the propane gas tank located in the company premises and cooling operations are ongoing.

Additionally, a new experiment is being carried out by covering the propane tank with silty soil from the dam.

The fire accident erupted at around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday at the plant operated by JPFL Films Pvt., as per an exchange filing. "The production operation at part of the said plant is disturbed temporarily," it added.

The cause of fire will be assessed in due course by the subsidiary entity, Jindal Poly said, adding that the firm is also in the process of ascertaining the actual loss caused by the accident.

"There is adequate insurance coverage for said plant and intimation to insurance company has already been made. The amount of damage will be assessed in due course of time," it added.

Three employees were injured in the incident and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to NDTV. Local authorities said goods worth crores of rupees may have been damaged, but a full assessment is pending.

Local authorities said the fire broke out late Tuesday night in the raw material warehouse at the plant located on the Mumbai-Nashik highway in Mundegaon. The fire spread to other parts of the unit, fuelled by chemicals and plastic stored at the site. Loud explosions were reported, and the blaze caused panic in the surrounding area.

Residents said the explosions were audible from a distance, and thick smoke was seen rising from the plant, NDTV reported.