Kerala - Kochi   

21 injured in fire at SEZ

— Photo: VipinChandran

Danger zone: The abandoned chemical extraction unit at the Kakkanad Special Economic Zone that caught fire on Tuesday.

KOCHI: Twenty one persons, including personnel of the Fire and Rescue Services sustained chemical injuries following a fire that broke out at an abandoned industrial unit in the Kochi Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Kakkanad on Tuesday evening.

The fire that was detected at 6.30 p.m. in DV Deo and Company, was brought under control by 9 p.m. The company was engaged in extracting essence from spices and was in a state of disuse for the past few years. The unit was completely gutted.

The fire is expected to have erupted after sparks from gas cutters that were being used to pull down the building, fell on some chemicals kept inside the unit.

Fifteen Fire and Rescue Services personnel and some workers have been admitted to the Sunrise Hospital, Kakkanad. Most of them sustained chemical burns. Seven of them are in the hospital’s intensive-care unit, hospital sources said.

Fire and Rescue Service sources said the factory was closed down five years ago. The compound was full of grass and shrubs and this hastened the spread of fire. Frequent minor explosions were heard as fire spread to some containers which contained chemicals.

Fifteen fire tenders from Ernakulam, Aluva, Tripunithura, Paravur, Cochin Port Trust, FACT and Kochi Refineries worked for over two hours to put out the fire. Employees of many nearby buildings were evacuated to safety as the factory’s roof sheets began to break in the heat of the fire. Many onlookers complained of irritation in the eyes.

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