TIRUNELVELI: A major fire broke out at a tea factory in the Naalumukku area of the Manjolai Hills in the district around 3 am on Sunday, after a gas cylinder used for welding exploded during dismantling work, causing damage to the machinery. No fatalities or injuries were recorded, according to officials.
The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation-run factory, located at Naalumukku in the Western Ghats in Ambasamudram taluk, recently shut down operations with the lease period approaching expiration in 2028. Subsequently, most of the tea estate workers had vacated the area. Officials said, for the past few days, machinery dismantling works were being carried out round-the-clock at the factory, which involved gas cutting of metal structures.
The incident occurred around 3 am on Sunday, when a gas cylinder caught fire during welding work and exploded, according to officials. Workers immediately evacuated the site before the fire spread rapidly, engulfing the unit in flames. Fire and rescue services personnel from Ambasamudram rushed to the spot with two fire tenders and initiated firefighting operations. Forest department, revenue staff, and police personnel also reached the location to assist and prevent the fire from spreading into the surrounding forest area.
Cheranmahadevi sub-collector told TNIE that personnel had been sent to the hills to ensure safety measures are in place, and confirmed no loss of life or injuries in the fire accident. Another official said that factory machinery and materials worth several lakhs of rupees were gutted. Police sources said poor mobile network connectivity in the region had hampered the efforts to ascertain whether the fire had been brought under control completely and the extent of the damage during the initial stage of the fire accident.