Hydrogen chloride gas leaks from cylinder, swift action by firefighters averts disaster

An incident involving hydrogen chloride gas leak from a cylinder occurred at a godown in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday, but timely action by the fire brigade personnel saved the situation from slipping out of hand, officials said. The incident took place at V Express House located on the ground floor of Harihar Corporation Complex in Dapodi village at Mankoli, said Saquib Kharbe, head of the disaster management cell of the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC). ''Five cylinders containing hydrogen chloride gas, belonging to a Gujarat-based company, were stored at the godown. However, a gas leak was detected in one of the cylinders,'' he said. A team of firefighters reached the site at 11.10 am and immediately closed the cylinder's valve, due to which the gas leak stopped, he said. ''The operation was completed by 11.50 am. Due to the timely intervention, no injuries were reported. The situation was brought under control before it could pose any threat to nearby establishments,'' he said.