Igatpuri, 22 May (HS): Seven villages in Igatpuri have been evacuated as a

precautionary measure, as the fire that broke out at Jidal Polyfilm Unit in

Mundhegaon in Igatpuri around 1.30 am on Wednesday, could not be controlled

even after 38 hours of firefighting. A team of NDRF (National Disaster Response

Force) has been summoned to control the fire. Maharashtra Minister Chhagan

Bhujbal said that he is taking care of the situation.

The

villages have been evacuated due to the possibility of explosion of gas cylinders

due to the heat generated due to the fire. Fire tenders from Ojhar, the Army, the Air Force

Base at Ojhar, Bhiwandi, Pimpri-Cinchwad, Sangamner, and Ahilyanagar were

summoned.

The

LPG tank on the premises of the company may explode due to the heat generated

by the fire. The villages have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Continuous cooling measures over the gas tank has been undertaken to prevent

any major accident. The Traffic on the Nashik-Mumbai Highway was stopped for some

time.

The

firefighters had to fetch water from other companies in the area, as the

sources in Jindal got exhausted. Around 40 fire tenders are fighting to extinguish

the flames. Two workers are reported to have received injuries in the fire. The

NDRF team is expected to reach the site on Thursday night.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar