The Hindu : Front Page : Fire at Laila herbal plant

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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Fire at Laila herbal plant

Staff Reporter

Electric short-circuit is the trigger

VIJAYAWADA: A fire broke out at an herbal extraction unit that was being set up by the Laila Group of Companies on road number 7 of Autonagar on Saturday afternoon, in which only loss of property was reported. Fire-fighting personnel brought the flames under control within an hour and a half. Four fire tenders were pressed into service after the fire broke out at around 2.30 p.m., and fire-fighting personnel immediately reached the premises. An electric short circuit was stated to have caused the fire.

District Fire Officer D. Murali Mohan said that there was no major problem, as there were no human habitations around the place where the accident occurred. However, thick smoke billowed out from the plant as the fire occurred at a height of 10 feet to 15 feet and it was fanned by winds.Fire-fighters' job was made easier as there was an open space on the three sides of the spot where the plant was situated on a sprawling campus of over 4 acres.The equipment that was damaged included a vessel meant for preparing extracts out of herbal oils and a motor to be used to heat the vessel. Though five more vessels were in the vicinity, there was no damage to them.The asbestos sheets of the plant were also burnt in the fire. Representatives of the firm claimed a loss of about Rs. 4 lakhs, while the fire officials said there could not be a major damage as the plant was still under construction.

Plant manager Narasimha Raju said that the fire occurred when the workers went out for a lunch break.

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