Massive fire breaks out at Ghaziabad chemical factory

Lucknow: A major fire has broken out in a chemical factory in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Monday. The casualties so far have been the livestock.

Two cows and a calf were burnt to death and over a dozen of these animals were injured in the late Sunday night blaze. The fire broke out in the Pandav Nagar industrial area around midnight, the police added.

It took three dozen fire brigades from neighbouring Noida and Meerut, besides Ghaziabad itself, to douse the inferno that spread due to the gusty winds, an officer said.

The blaze was continuously fed by the regular explosions in the chemical factory as the stockpiles of chemicals exploded along with the LPG cylinders kept inside.

All neighbouring factories have been vacated, a district official informed. The fire also spread to a paint factory in the vicinity.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has also been called to oversee rescue of any persons trapped inside the blazing factory campus.

District Magistrate Ministi S. and other senior officials are present at the spot.

Official on Special Duty (OSD) at the District Magistrate`s office Sunil Sharma told IANS on phone that the situation was under control now and the assessment of the damage was being done.