PIMPRI A fire broke out in the scrap material dumped inside Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL), Pimpri, on Wednesday casualties were reported, and the blaze was brought under control after a three-hour-long operation, officials said.
PCMC has also issued a notice to HAL for failing to comply with fire safety regulations.
According to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) fire brigade, they received a distress call at 3:26 pm. Firefighters from multiple stations were deployed, including four vehicles from Pimpri and one each from Rahatani, Thergaon, Bhosari, Moshi, Chikhali, and Talawade.
Gautam Kisan Ingawle, sub-fire officer at Pimpri main fire station, said the fire originated near the railway tracks and spread to the company’s premises.
“The fire was reported at multiple locations, starting near the railway station and spreading to waste material stored inside the HAL company. Within the campus, the fire was detected at three different spots, approximately half a kilometre from the highway,” he said.
“The company has not adhered to fire safety compliance for the past four years. This is not the first such incident—on June 4, 2020, a similar fire was reported. After that incident, a notice was issued for negligence, but the company still failed to implement the required safety measures,” said Rushikant Chipade, head, PCMC fire department.
An investigation into the latest fire revealed multiple safety violations. Officials found that the fixed fire protection system was non-functional, and there was no proper water storage for firefighting. Additionally, it is suspected that certain industrial sheds within the premises were rented out to other companies for chemical storage or production, none of which had completed fire safety compliance.
Aabasaheb Kasare, fire safety officer at HAL, said that no active production is taking place at the company.
“The production units that once handled highly flammable chemicals have been shut down. Most employees here are nearing retirement, and there are no plans for new production or expansion,” he said.
