Pithampur Industrial Area Fire: A massive fire broke out at a scrap warehouse in Sector 3 of the industrial town of Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Saturday, spreading to neighbouring industrial units and triggering a major firefighting operation, officials said.
Police said no casualties have been reported so far. The fire was reported at Alpa Industries, which is reportedly used as a scrap storage facility. Thick plumes of black smoke billowed from the site and were visible from a long distance, causing panic among workers and residents in the surrounding industrial area.
According to police, the blaze started in the morning and quickly intensified due to combustible scrap material stored inside the warehouse. The flames soon spread to adjoining industrial sheds.
Pithampur Station House Officer (SHO) Sunil Sharma said police received information about the fire and immediately rushed teams to the spot along with the fire brigade.
"Preliminary information suggests that the fire broke out due to a short circuit. Police and fire brigade teams immediately reached the spot and started firefighting operations," Sharma said.
As the fire spread to nearby units, the administration called in additional fire tenders from neighbouring areas, including Mhow and from private companies operating in the Pithampur industrial belt. In total, seven fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze.
To prevent further spread, fire brigade teams were also stationed at adjoining companies as a precautionary measure. The road leading to the affected unit was sealed off to keep people away and ensure smooth movement of emergency vehicles.
After sustained efforts of several hours, firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control, though operations were still underway to douse the remaining flames and cool the area. "The fire is now under control, and efforts are underway to extinguish it completely," Sharma said.
The extent of damage to the warehouse and neighbouring industrial units was not immediately known. Officials said assessment would be done once the cooling operation is complete.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be officially confirmed, and further investigation is underway. Pithampur, located about 30 km from Indore, is one of Madhya Pradesh's largest industrial hubs housing hundreds of small and large manufacturing units.
