Maharashtra: Fire breaks out in two godowns of chemical unit in Gondia, doused

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Two godowns of a chemical firm were gutted in a fire in Gondia in Maharashtra on Saturday, an official said, reported news agency PTI.

The unit is situated in Fulchur and the blaze, which started at 7:30 am, was doused four hours later, he said.

"Goods worth Rs 50 lakh were destroyed. One of the owners of the facility, Pradyuman Bajaj, sustained injuries while trying to control the fire and has been hospitalised," he said, reported PTI.

Prime facie, the blaze may have been caused by a short circuit, the official added.

Speaking to PTI, Avinash Bajaj, part of the family that owns the unit, said two godowns having raw materials like resin, packaging items and chemical drums were gutted.

In another incident, a 3-year-old child was killed and five were injured after a fire broke out in a house in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI.

The incident took place around 8.30 pm on Friday at Sharif Colony in the Kiradpura area of the city.

Forensic teams deployed by the police are investigating the case, he said.

"There were seven adults and two to three children in the house. Prima facie, it looks like the fire started due to a cylinder blast," the official said, reported PTI.

While Sadaf Irfan Shaikh (3) died in the accident, Rizwan Khan (40), Rehan Shaikh (17), Adil Khan (10), Faizan Pathan (13) and Dishan Khan (9) sustained injuries, he said, adding that the injured have been admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in the city, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, four persons were injured in a fire that broke out and spread to a few shops following a leak in a gas pipeline in the western suburb of Juhu here on Friday, a civic official said, reported PTI.

A leak in the gas pipeline of the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) triggered a blaze around 11.55 am, the official said, reported PTI.

The fire spread to three shops and was extinguished by the fire brigade around 12.20 pm. The MGL staffers plugged the gas leak, he said.

Four persons suffered superficial burns and were rushed to Cooper Hospital, and their condition is said to be stable, the official said, reported PTI.

A spokesperson from MGL said the gas pipeline was damaged when a contractor was carrying out excavation work for a nullah on A B Nair Road, reported PTI.

"As a safety precaution, the gas supply has been temporarily stopped in the vicinity and will be restored by 8 pm," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)