A massive fire broke out in the scrap yard of the Railway Carriage Repair Workshop located at Mancheswar on Thursday night prompting fire officials to mobilise tenders and fighters from Khurda and Cuttack districts.
At least 10 tenders from Bhubaneswar’s three fire stations, Khurda and Cuttack were pressed into fire fighting job. Assistant Fire Officer Ramesh Majhi said 70 fire fighters were engaged to control the inferno which was continuing till the report was filed.
Chief Public Relations Officer of East Coast Railway (ECoR) RN Mohapatra said the scrap yard was located at a distance from the main workshop which was not affected by the flames. Nobody was hurt in the incident, he added. Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire may have started from a transformer located in the vicinity since sound of an explosion was heard before the fire broke out.
Another source said an overhead 33 KV line snapped causing the fire in the yard where rubber, wooden and metal scraps, garbage and other wastes were dumped. Since the scrap materials are laced with lubricants and other combustible substances like oil, the fire spread quickly.
Majhi said the fire may not spread to neighbouring areas but controlling it may take another four to five hours. “All our men are on the job and we expect to douse the fire by wee hours of Friday,” he said.