More Than 100 Explosions Reported at Chemical PlantMore Than 100 Explosions Reported at Chemical Plant

More than 100 explosions were reported during a major fire Tuesday afternoon at the Metropolitan Eximchem Pvt Ltd chemical plant in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area in Dombivli, India, according to Indian news organizations. 

Some 500 people were working in the plant when the blaze began at about 12:30 p.m. in a storage unit, coverage by the Times of India said. The facility produces intermediate chemicals for pharmaceutical and plastic production, the newspaper said. 

“Thick smoke was released since the factory manufactures 18 types of chemicals. The entire factory has been charred in the incident. There were small explosions as well,” Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) Chief Fire Officer Dilip Gund told the Hindustan Times. “We suspect a boiler inside the plant may have also exploded due to the blaze.”

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Homes, schools and businesses with a 500-m area surrounding the plant were evacuated. More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene along with other emergency personnel. The fire was doused by 4 a.m., but some crews remained at the plant overnight to monitor the site, the Hindustan Times said.  

“Over 100 chemical drums explosion [sic] took place during the fire. The black smoke spread across the entire area,” Dattatrey Shelke, a MIDC firefighter, said in a Free Press Journal article. “Many people complained of breathing problems as the smoke spread after the fire raged.”

No injuries were logged during the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

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