Tile unit gutted in major fire

HYDERABAD: Property worth around Rs 2 crore was reportedly damaged in a major fire at a tile factory in the Nacharam industrial belt early on Saturday morning. The blaze completely gutted the machinery at the unit apart from destroying raw material, including rubber and chemicals. Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire was caused by a short circuit at the Classic Bricks & Tiles unit located on Road No.15.No injuries or casualties have been reported.
The fire control room was alerted about the incident at around 2.45am by watchmen patrolling the area. However, despite four fire tenders being pressed into service to control the blaze, it took firemen well over 15 hours to douse the flames. "That was because the factory was stacked with chemicals. Each time we thought we had put it out the fire just reignited. Also, a part of the shed had crashed due to the fire, making our task even more difficult," said Ramesh Yadav, leading fireman from the Malkajgiri fire station. Also on the job were fire tenders dispatched from the Hayathnagar, Secunderabad and Moula Ali fire stations. "We are still assessing the loss. Investigation is also on to ascertain the actual cause of the mishap," said a fire official present at the site.