Three Workers Suffer Burns in Chemical Packaging Unit Blaze in Mulshi
A fire broke out at a chemical packaging unit in Ambarvet village, located in Mulshi taluka, approximately 35 kilometers from Pune, around 11:30 AM on Sunday. The incident resulted in three workers suffering burns, including a woman. The injured workers, Renuka Gaikwad (40), Mohit Raj Chaudhary (49), and Sandip Shendkar (49), were initially admitted to a private hospital in Ghotawade Phata and later shifted to other facilities for further treatment.
Medical practitioner Suhas Marne from the private hospital in Ghotawade Phata provided details about the injuries. Shendkar sustained 75% burns, Chaudhary suffered 35% burns, and Gaikwad had 6% burns. Marne stated, “We hydrated the patients and made them clinically stable before shifting them to other hospitals.” Shendkar and Chaudhary were transferred to a private hospital in Pune, while Gaikwad was moved to a private hospital in Mulshi.
Fire officer Sujit Patil of the PMRDA fire brigade explained that the unit is involved in the packaging of chemical compounds, such as sodium chloride. “The drums of chemicals exploded due to the fire,” Patil said. The fire was brought under control within half an hour by the firemen.
Local residents heard the explosions and quickly shifted the injured workers to the hospital before the fire tender arrived at the scene. An officer from the Paud police stated that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. “We will verify if the unit was operating with all required permissions. We will decide the further course of action after the verification,” the officer said.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety measures in place at the chemical packaging unit. Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire and ensure that all necessary safety protocols are followed in the future.
