6 injured as explosions rock Rewari chemical factory after fire

Rewari: Six workers were injured, two of them critically, after a massive fire triggered multiple explosions at a chemical manufacturing unit in Rewari district's Bawal industrial area on Monday afternoon, forcing evacuation of nearly 300 employees.The blaze erupted around 12.30pm at the factory in Sector 5 and spread rapidly through the unit, with repeated explosions heard from a considerable distance. Officials said inflammable chemicals stored inside the factory intensified the fire.Thick black smoke and flames rising from the unit were reportedly visible from nearly 10km away, triggering panic in the area as workers rushed out of the premises.Authorities said all employees present inside the factory at the time of the incident were evacuated safely. The injured workers were rushed to a nearby govt hospital for treatment.Preliminary investigation suggested that repair work was underway at the factory's chilling plant when an explosion triggered the fire. The flames quickly engulfed a major portion of the unit, complicating firefighting operations.The factory manufactures chemical products, industrial ink and aluminium foil for domestic and overseas markets.Fire tenders from Rewari, Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Faridabad, Palwal and neighbouring Rajasthan were rushed to the spot as the blaze intensified.Fire officer Sanjay said around 35 fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze."A portion of the factory building collapsed after the fire intensified, creating difficulties in spraying water beneath the debris. The fire has largely been brought under control, but it has not been fully extinguished yet," he said.He added that chemicals stored inside the factory and extreme heat accelerated the spread of the fire.Rewari deputy commissioner Abhishek Meena said no deaths had been reported so far and confirmed that forensic experts had been called to investigate the cause of the incident.Rewari SP Hemendra Kumar Meena said police teams reached the spot immediately after receiving information and coordinated rescue and evacuation efforts with the fire department."No FIR has been registered so far. A forensic team has been called to determine the exact cause of the fire. Further legal action will be initiated based on the investigation findings," he said.DSP Surender Sheoran said the company management informed authorities that nearly 200-300 employees were present inside the premises when the fire broke out.