A massive fire broke out in the CEAT tyre premises at Nahur in north-east Mumbai on Sunday evening, affecting train services on the Central Railway network. Initial reports said that two employees sustained severe burn wounds in the mishap.
The leaping flames from the tyre unit premises were spreading to the nearby Nahur Railway station. “Since the CEAT tyre unit is located right next to the platform number one of the Nahur Railway station on the Central Railway, we diverted the train traffic from the slow tracks to the fast tracks after 6 pm, as precautionary measure,” a CR spokesperson said.
The fire, which broke out at 5.55 pm, continued to rage till well past 9.30 pm, with the huge flames of the fire witnessed by people from distant suburbs of north-east Mumbai.
More than a dozen fire tenders, several water tankers and at least half a dozen ambulances were pressed into service to extinguish the fire. Given that the CEAT tyre unit is located right next suburban railway track no 1 of the Central Railway, the blaze threatened to go out of control, at one stage. However, with the Railway authorities reacted swiftly and diverted the traffic from the slow tracks to the fast tracks after 6 pm. The cause of fire was not known immediately.