Fire breaks out at Howrah paint factory; 22 injured, 5 critical
Kolkata: At least 22 persons were injured after a fire broke out at a paint factory at Shalimar in Howrah on Wednesday afternoon.
Among the injured people around five are critical. While 21 employees of the factory were shifted to a private hospital in Ekbalpore, a high-ranked official of the paint company was admitted at another private hospital in Alipore.
The incident took place at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday when paint production was going on in full swing. Suddenly an explosion took place inside the factory and fire broke out. Immediately the AJC Bose Botanical Garden Police Station and fire brigade were informed. Five fire tenders were pressed into action within a few moments.
The fire was controlled at around 3:30 pm. However, the cooling process was carried out by the fire fighters for around one more hour. During the fire fighting operations, 22 employees of the factory, including a senior officer, were found injured. They were rushed to a private hospital in the area. Later they were shifted to private hospitals in Kolkata for better treatment.
Fire brigade officials suspect that the fire had broken out due to the explosion in an air conditioning machine. However, police have requested the forensic experts to visit the factory for sample collection in order to determine the cause of fire. The forensic experts are expected to visit the factory on Thursday.