36 Hours And Counting: Factory Fire Near Visakhapatnam Rages On

Visakhapatnam: Nearly 36 hours after a major fire broke out at a biofuel plant near Visakhapatnam, the blaze is yet to be out. Officials said the fire could burn on till Thursday noon. So far, 40 fire engines - including 20 from the Navy - have been deployed to control the blaze and more than 9,000 litres of foam have been used.

The fire had started on the premises of a company called Biomax, located in the Duvvada Special Economic Zone, around 7:30 on Tuesday evening.

It is not known how it started but of the 18 tanks containing biodiesel stored at the facility, 12 went up in flames. By Thursday morning, fire continued to burn in four of the tanks, District Collector Yuvraj told NDTV. The fire can be put out only after all the fuel burns out.
 "Everything is under control. We have sufficient quantity of foam available," he said.

No one has been injured in the incident - all 15 employees present at the time managed to get away --  but the fire is believed to have caused damage to the tune of Rs 120 crore.
 "Fortunately, those inside the premises were quickly moved out," said state minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who had gone to the spot to monitor the situation.

"With the navy and other public sector units, like Vizag steel plant, the HPCL as also nearby pharma industries pitching in with fire-fighting, the damage could be contained," the minister said.