Fire breaks out at paint factory in Palghar; no injuries

A fire broke out at a paint manufacturing unit in the Vasai East area of Maharashtra's Palghar district on Friday, officials said. Nobody was injured in the fire that started around 10.30 am at the factory in Aisha Compound, which houses several industrial units. Thick plumes of smoke and flames rising high into the air could be seen from a distance, they said. ''Upon receiving information, our teams reached the site with three fire engines. The fire had intensified due to the presence of materials needed to make paint and other highly flammable substances inside the factory,'' said a fire official from the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation. The fire has now been brought under control, the official said. Though no injuries were reported, property worth several lakhs of rupees appears to have been gutted in the blaze, he said, adding that the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.