Chemical factory blaze doused after five hours

At least 75 firefighters took part in the rescue operation

LAHORE:

A chemical factory fire in Sundar Industrial Estate on Friday which took 75 firefighters and 18 fire trucks to finally extinguish over a period of five hours. The chemical factory was identified as Purechem. The facility hosted a manufacturing facility of highly flammable and dangerous products such as Ethyl Acetate and Methyl Acetate.

The compounds are known to be seriously damaging to internal organs in case of prolonged or repeated exposure. Rescue 1122 officials told The Express Tribune that there were at least a dozen people inside the factory when the flames erupted who ran outside to save their life. Eye witnesses said the factory was quickly engulfed by huge flames and a thick blanket of toxic smoke.

Clouds of smoke were noticeable from a faraway distance as well. During the operation to contain the inferno, a boiler inside the factory exploded aggravating the crisis further. Soon after, another boiler followed suit instilling fear among the rescuers and nearby people. In a bid to control the fire from turning into a catastrophe, six more vehicles and 40 more firemen were called on the spot to help contain the blaze.

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A rescue official said there was fear among firefighters that if more boilers inside the factory exploded the flames would spread to the nearby factories too. “The nearby factories also manufacture flammable materials which would have turned the blaze into a massive one threatening several lives,” he added. An official source said the firemen used Self Containing Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) during the rescue operation. Special foam was used to contain the fire with the help of latest specialized vehicles equipped with the ability of angular firefighting from a height of 70 metres. It took Rescue 1122 at least five hours to control the fire