CHENNAI: Although it has been over 24 hours since a fire broke out at a chemical warehouse in Manali, it is yet to be completely doused. The fire was allegedly caused due to an electrical short-circuit on Friday night. A total of 12 fire tenders have been pressed into service.
“Around 90-95% of the fire had been contained by Sunday evening. There is a lot of smoke emanating from the warehouse and we are ascertaining if there are smaller fires. We expect to completely douse the blaze by Sunday night,” rescue personnel said.
Police said the factory, located along Manali-Ponneri NH, belongs to Issac Thyagarajan. The warehouse contained raw chemicals used to manufacture laundry detergent, plastic pipes and cleaning liquids. There was water stagnation at the warehouse, which receded on Friday.
Later, when the power supply was restored after five days, smoke started emanating from the warehouse. Fire tenders from Manali, Red Hills, Madhavaram, Egmore and Kolathur fire stations were pressed into service. Black smoke from the warehouse engulfed the air and motorists complained of irritation, the police said.