Major fire at container yard near Sheelanagar in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Tension prevailed following a fire mishap in a container freight station (CFS) near Sheelanagar in Vizag on Monday. A Hazardous chemical called Aluminum Floride caught fire inside the GATEWAY's CFS container yard located adjacent to Airport road towards Sheelanagar area.

Though there were no casualties and injuries in the incident so far, the fire mishap created a panic situation in the city, which has been witnessing fatal industrial mishaps in the last few months.

The CFS is a storage place for imported and exported consignments, brought in containers after they arrive in Vizag. The CFS is operated by a private company.

#JUSTIN: A Major fire broke out at a Container yard in #Vishakapatnam of Andhra Pradesh. Two fire extinguishers have been pressed in. No casualties reported so far. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/8n5FYKu5OH

— NewsMeter (@NewsMeter_In) July 27, 2020

[amp-tweet tweetid="https://twitter.com/NewsMeter_In/status/1287685084678516737"]

There was a chemical combustion in one of the container, which resulted in an explosion. A few chemical containers at the CFS were gutted in the incident.

The residents of Yelapuvanipalem came out from their houses following the fire mishap fearing that they might develop respiratory problems due to toxic gases, like in the LG Polymers styrene gas leak incident.

Based on information, two fire tenders were pressed into the service and the fire personnel brought the situation under control by dousing the flames.

The police and fire service personnel are examining the area to ascertain the exact reason for the mishap. They are also examining the CFS to see if adequate safety measures are being followed