Massive fire engulfs scrap warehouse in Sajapur area

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A major fire broke out on Thursday morning in the industrial zone at Sajapur after unidentified individuals allegedly set garbage on fire. The blaze spread rapidly, destroying a scrap warehouse and tin sheds. Fortunately, no casualties were reported; however, the incident has once again raised serious safety concerns about unauthorised businesses operating beneath high-tension power lines.

The fire erupted suddenly on Thursday morning in Gut Nos. 53 and 54 of Sajapur, adjacent to the Waluj industrial area. A warehouse owned by Gulam Nabi Khan, along with materials belonging to several scrap dealers in the vicinity, was completely gutted. Individuals including Shaikh Musa, Syed Imran, Mohammad Aleem, Imran Shah, Shaikh Faiyyaz and Arshad Ali were engaged in scrap trading at the site, where large quantities of plastic materials had been stored.

Preliminary information suggests that some unidentified persons burned waste in an open area, and due to strong winds, sparks spread to the stored materials, igniting the fire.

Within moments, the fire intensified, engulfing the entire area in thick plumes of smoke. As flames rose high, workers and industrialists in the vicinity promptly alerted the fire brigade. Two fire tenders from Waluj MIDC and the municipal corporation reached the spot, and personnel managed to bring the fire under control by dousing it with water.

Private water tankers were also deployed to assist in extinguishing the blaze. Due to the intense heat, smouldering continued at several spots until the evening. The fire destroyed lamination machines, sacks, plastic sheets, hand gloves, butter paper, iron cupboards, metal sheets, furniture, wiring, documents, and cash, resulting in heavy losses for the concerned traders.

The firefighting operation was carried out under the guidance of chief fire officer (CFO, Waluj) Anil Deshmukh and CFO (Kanchanwadi) Ashok Khandekar, along with officers and personnel including S G Deshmukh, Sunil Patil, S K Hajare, S B Mahale, T B Tandale, deputy officer Vinayak Kadam, duty officer Gorakhnath Jadhav, Kamlesh Salambad, Vishal Gharde, Chhagan Salambad, and driver Bhuralal Salampure, among others.