Massive fire in plastic-firecracker warehouse, explosions shake the area, struggle to control it

Ambikapur. A massive fire that broke out in a plastic and firecracker warehouse in Ambikapur, Surguja district headquarters of Chhattisgarh, created panic in the entire area. The fire spread so fast that within no time the two-storey building got engulfed and the flames reached the nearby houses.

The incident took place in Kotwali police station area, where a wholesale shop named Mukesh Plastic suddenly caught fire. A large quantity of plastic material and firecrackers were stored in the shop, due to which the fire took a huge form within a short time.

According to eyewitnesses, as soon as the firecrackers caught fire after the plastic caught fire, loud explosions started happening continuously. The entire area was shaken by the sound of the explosions and thick black smoke became visible from a distance of about 10 kilometers.

The magnitude of the fire can be gauged from the fact that within just an hour the two-storey building was completely engulfed in flames. The flames reached a house adjacent to the shop, causing a fire there too.

The fire extinguishing operation was started at around 12 noon. So far, about 100 tankers of water have been poured with the help of four fire engines, but the fire has not been completely controlled.

Rescue and fire fighting operations are going on continuously for the last 8 hours. Fire brigade teams of Darima Airport and Coal Mine have also reached the spot and are busy extinguishing the fire. Despite this, flames are still rising from the warehouse.

At present the cause of the fire has not been known. The administration has started investigating the matter and the real reason will become clear only after the fire is extinguished.

After the incident, questions are being raised regarding the storage of flammable materials in the residential area. Corporation Leader of Opposition Shafi Ahmed expressed serious concern over this and said that keeping such dangerous goods in residential areas is a matter of great negligence.

Collector Ajit Vasant said that there was no loss of life in this incident. As a precaution, the surrounding houses were already evacuated.

Minister Rajesh Aggarwal said that many streets of the city are so narrow that it becomes difficult for the fire brigade to reach there. He appealed to the citizens to cooperate in widening of the roads, so that such incidents can be dealt with in a better way in future.