Chennai: Authorities have confirmed there is no loss of life.
A massive fire at a chemicals godown in Chennai's Madhavaram has been contained after a thousand firefighters worked overnight in two shifts. At least 31 fire tenders were deployed including fire engines from the Chennai Petro Chemicals Ltd and Chennai Airport.
Authorities have confirmed there is no loss of life.
The godown management said it was storing barrels filled with chemicals -- piled one above the other, and the fire turned into an inferno as the contents kept catching fire.
Sylendra Babu, the Chief of Fire and Rescue Services told NDTV " There is no loss of life. The challenge was to stop the spread of fire. Water alone wasn't sufficient. We had to spray foam. We deployed all fire tenders in the city".
"These are inflammable chemicals for use in the pharma industry. We are probing if it was an accident or sabotage," he added.
The fire that began around 4 pm on Saturday triggered huge balls of flame and a massive cloud of smoke in the sky triggering panic.
S. James Jesse an electrical engineer who witnessed it from close quarters from his office said, "The fire was furious and unimaginable raising up to 20 metres. We saw some barrels or heavy materials flying high and falling over the nearby buildings".