Fire, explosion at chemical factory in Thane; no casualty

Thane, Jun 12 (PTI) A fire broke out at a closed chemical factory in Dombivli area of Maharashtra's Thane district on Wednesday morning, an official said.

No casualty was reported so far, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Dipak Nikam told PTI, adding that there was also an explosion at the unit.

Thick smoke billowing from the unit could be seen from a long distance, he said.

The unit is located near Amudan Chemicals, where a massive blast on May 23 claimed 10 lives and left more than 60 persons injured.

Nikam said the fire erupted at around 10 am on Wednesday at the factory, located in the Dombivli MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area.

So far, no person was reported to be injured, he said.

Three fire engines and an ambulance were rushed to the spot, he said, adding that firefighting was still on.

The cause of the fire was not yet known, he said. PTI COR GK