A major fire broke out after an explosion inside a boiler at a chemicals company in Boisar-Tarapur industrial estate in Palghar district near Mumbai around midnight. The police said the blaze started after a massive explosion inside a boiler filled with industrial solvent due to high pressure and high temperature.
Initial reports suggested the fire started at Novaphene Specialties private limited in E-107 unit around 11.40 pm. The fire then reportedly spread to five adjacent companies in the MIDC area. There are around 1,100 chemical plants and additional 400-500 other factories in MIDC Tarapur. The impact of the blast was such that reverberations were strongly felt in 8-10 kilometre radius. Window panes of buildings upto 3 kms were shattered.
The fire that started to Novaphene, a unit that specialises in chemical and cosmetic preservatives, spread to adjoining factories- Aarti Drugs, Prachi Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Bharat Vasayan and Unimax. Prachi Ltd is an iodine salt manufacturer, while Aarti drugs manufactures vitamins and antibiotics.
Palghar police superintendent Manjunath Singhe told the fire was too big to control. It quickly spread to nearby factories. All precautionary measures were taken to contain the fire. 11 Fire tenders were rushed to the spot. More details are awaited. Tarapur Atomic Power Station, which is also situated on Boisar-Tarapur Road is around 20 kms away from the spot.
