A major fire broke out at a pharmaceutical company in Rabale MIDC early on Friday morning, reducing the entire premises to ashes. Fortunately, there were no casualties, police confirmed. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly eight hours before bringing it under control, while cooling operations continued until the afternoon.
Fire spreads rapidly due to chemicals
The fire erupted around 2 a.m. at Gel Pharmaceutical Company, located at plot R-952 in the Thane-Belapur Industrial Area, Rabale MIDC. Luckily, no workers were present at the time. However, large quantities of flammable chemicals stored in the unit caused the flames to spread rapidly and intensify within minutes.
Firefighters battle blaze for hours
Upon receiving the alert, the MIDC Fire Brigade rushed to the spot. Due to the scale of the blaze, additional fire tenders from Vashi, Koparkhairane, and Airoli fire stations were called in for assistance. Firefighters used a Bronto Skylift to tackle the fire from above and managed to bring it under control around 10 a.m., after eight hours of continuous efforts.
“Cooling operations were carried out until evening to prevent any re-ignition,” said a fire officer.
Short circuit suspected as cause
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, preliminary reports suggest that a short circuit might have triggered the blaze. The company premises were completely gutted in the incident, with losses yet to be assessed.
