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The deadly fire incident happened due to massive explosion in a boiler at the agro-chemical company at this chemical factory that is located in Dahej Special Economic Zone-1.  Agrochemicals and organic intermediates are manufactured in the production facility.

As the incident happened, very gruesome pictures of injured and dead people working in the plant became viral on social media. The grievously wounded workers were shifted to various hospitals in Bharuch and near Vadodara city. Huge inferno was radiating from the plant and a thick plume of smoke emanating from the site of the blast engulfed the entire area.

Figure 1 – The fire triggered by the blast in a boiler at the Dahej SEZ (Special Economic Zone) was brought under control by the fire team of the SEZ

Image Source- https://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2020/06/03/Pictures/_88c7bf3a-a59c-11ea-86c3-c49c142691bb.jpg

The blast occurred at 12 noon. It was followed by a fire. The fire department rushed to the spot and declared an offsite emergency. Meanwhile, residents of Lakhi and Luvara villages, located near the factory where the explosion had occurred, were being evacuated as a precautionary measure because of the presence of poisonous chemicals and fumes. Plants containing poisonous chemicals are also located near the factory where the blast took place so more people were evacuated from nearby areas as well.

This is the second industrial accident in India in less than a month. On May 7, 2020, styrene gas leaked from the LG Polymers chemical plant in RR Venkatapuram village near Gopalapatnam on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The resulting vapour cloud spread over a radius of about three kilometres, affecting the nearby areas and villages. Eleven people were killed and more than 1,000 people became sick after being exposed to the gas, according to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

These incidents once again highlighted the lethal negligent and complacency about fire safety norms in Indian industry. Neither governments nor the public have held them adequately accountable for the loss of thousands of lives. The problem is compounded by a shortage of inspection staff. The British Safety Council study found that India has just one inspector for every 506 registered factories.

Hence it is necessary to have all the fire safety instruments and systems in place. This should also be supported by the Annual Maintenance Contracts and proper training regime at the manufacturing facilities in India, especially where explosive and highly combustible chemicals are processed, produced and/or stored. Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd. provides all these solutions in a customised way.