Major Fire Breaks At Banashankari Chemicals Plant In Bangalore

A major fire broke out early Thursday morning on Mar 29 in a prominent chemical plant in KIABD Industrial area at Malur, Bangalore, Karnataka. The plant belonged to Banashankari Chemicals Pvt Ltd, a mid-sector, solvent recoverer in the state, observers reported.

Local authorities and police officials have yet to confirm the cause of the fire and the missing or injured persons information. But the factory management said there were no workers inside the plant. Hence, no casualties were reported.

Speculation by the bystanders have suggested that the cause of fire was a short circuit while some others claim a domestic gas cylinder explosion.

Nearby factory employees have reported sounds of an explosion from the site. “We heard sounds of a boiler explosion and noticed black smoke emitting out of the factory premises. Mostly ten workers, known to us, are working in the factory during the morning shift. Currently, none of them are accounted for,” said an R&D professional, working in the vicinity. 

Cause of fire can only be determined after a forensic examination, Malur police mentioned.

The fire had spread to the adjoining Sri Rama Plywood and Sainatha Steel factories. About more than 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and 50-60 firefighters have been deployed, Malur police added.

On being contacted by Worldofchemicals.com, G N Murthy, founder of Banashankari Chemicals said that they are working towards bringing the situation under control and can give an idea about the damage or any loss at a later date.

Local media reports have suggested an estimated loss of around Rs 8 crore.

The company website mentions having two decades of sustained association with big Pharma Companies and Chemical Industries, operating in three verticals 1) Supply of Recycled and Reclaimed solvents, 2) Toll Recovery of Solvents and 3) Purchase of used and redundant solvents. The facility is well equipped for carrying out purification of spent solvents, with specialized process including simple distillation, fractional Distillation and vacuum distillation with production capacity of 20 KL/Day, it stated.