A MASSIVE blaze involving multiple blasts of fuel and gas tanks was reported at a cluster of automobile repair and painting workshops and adjacent furniture storage in Dhayari area of Pune on Tuesday evening. No casualties were reported as the fire was brought under control by a dozen fire tenders after an operation that lasted three hours.
The fire was reported at 7 pm at Lane No 22 of Ganesh Nagar area of Dhayari where a cluster of workshops for automobile repair and painting jobs were running from tin sheds sharing common walls. Adjacent to the workshops was a storage of wooden furniture and related items.
After receiving the call about the fire from residents, the Fire Brigades of Pune City and Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority deployed 12 fire tenders and additional water tankers. “…The fire was brought under control around 10 pm and subsequently a cooling operation was conducted to avoid any secondary fires. Prima facie, no casualties have been reported in the blaze,” said Devendra Potphode, Chief Fire Officer for Pune.
“Primary observations suggest that this was a cluster of six to eight workshops providing automobile repair and denting-painting services. There were multiple fuel barrels, gas cylinders and canisters of paints — all highly inflammable. These storages led to multiple blasts that could be seen and heard from a long distance. What added to intensity was the presence of a furniture storage in the adjacent block. That was also gutted,” Potphode added. Officials said that at least 10 blasts were reported and four vehicles including two cars and two two-wheelers were also gutted. “While the cause of the fire will be probed by the police, primary observations point to short circuit,” said an officer.