Fire breaks out at furniture factory in Palghar; no casualties

A fire broke out at a furniture manufacturing unit in the industrial area of Maharashtra's Palghar city on Monday, officials said. There were no casualties in the blaze, as all personnel were evacuated safely from the factory in the Bidco industrial area, they said. The blaze was reported around 1.30 pm when at least 96 workers were on the premises, said Vivekanand Kadam, the chief of the District Disaster Management Cell. Fire tenders from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) were the first to arrive at the scene to battle the blaze, and a vehicle from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) was also dispatched to assist in the operations, he said. The firefighting operations are on, and efforts are underway to ensure that the blaze doesn't spread to neighbouring industrial units, the official said. Preliminary reports suggest that the presence of wood, foam, and chemicals on the premises may have caused the flames to spread rapidly, he added.