Many injured and two firemen down in Mumbai explosion and fire

Illustration photo by Pixabay.com. The explosion in the photograph is not from this particular incident.

A boiler explosion at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Mumbai killed three people and injured 12 on March 8th. Only days earlier a massive fire in Mumbai killed two firefighters, writes First Post World News.

At least, three people were killed and 12 injured after an explosion inside a boiler of Tarapur Atomic Power Station, a chemicals factory in Maharashtra's Palghar district, on Thursday night. The explosion caused a major fire to break out. Police said the incident took place at Ramdeo Chemicals in the Boisar-Tarapur industrial estate.

The impact of the blasts could be felt 12 kilometres from the spot in Palghar, Mahim, Boisar and surrounding areas.

Three factories near Ramdeo Chemicals were also gutted in the blaze and 13 people were injured. The fire, that had spread to the other buildings, was  been brought under control The first blast occurred in Novaphene Specialties Private Limited in E-107 unit of MIDC at around 11.10 pm, The Indian Express reported.

Hindustan Times quoted the Palghar district collector who said at least 40 explosions were heard from the plant. "It is clear that the said unit did not follow any safety precautions and due to an exothermic reaction, the blast occurred in the solvent drums," the report quoted Narnaware as saying.

Local eyewitnesses said that the explosion, "sounding like a huge bomb" took place when many were preparing to retire for the night. However, scared and shaken by the explosion, many feared it was an earthquake and hundreds rushed out on to the streets and sat there. Further details are awaited and senior civil and police officials besides disaster management teams have rushed to the spot.

Preliminary reports revealed that the blasts occurred in 25 drums containing 200 litres each of solvent at Novephene Specialities' plant in Boisar MIDC at around 11.15 pm. Four surrounding chemical units were either partially or completely destroyed.

Massive fire injures two firefighters in Mumbai

Only weeks earlier, on January 21, a massive industrial fire injured two firefighters in Mumbai. A massive fire broke out in an industrial area in suburban Andheri early on Monday, leaving two fire men injured and gutting a part of the premises, a fire brigade official said.

The fire brigade got a call around 1.16 am about the blaze in a ground-plus-one-floor structure in the Mistry Industrial Estate area near Marol, he said.

The personnel along with eight fire fighting engines rushed to the spot, the official said.

The flames spread over the electrical wiring and other installations, and gutted a part of the industrial area.

The fire brigade personnel managed to extinguish the fire after a few hours, he said.

Two fire men sustained minor injuries and were admitted to the nearby Cooper Hospital. They were discharged after being provided primary treatment, the official said.

Earlier on January 19, a massive fire had broken out at the Navrang studio in the Todi Mills Compound in Lower Parel area.

Prior to it, on January 6, a huge fire occurred at the Cinevista studio in suburban Kanjurmarg, claiming one life.