Smoke billowing out of the forge and foundry plant in HEC. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, May 13: Property worth crores of rupees was destroyed in a fire at the foundry & forge plant of the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) at Dhurwa this afternoon. However, there was no casualty.

The fire started around noon when a 2.5-MVA transformer was being charged near a 5-tonne capacity furnace at shop number two of the plant. The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained.

HEC sources, however, said the transformer blew up. “The transformer has been out of order for a long time. Electricians had taken it for repair today and changed its oil. While the transformer oil was being heated, a fire broke out.”

Seven fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze. According to a fireman, it took four hours to bring the fire under control. “Fire fighting operation started at 12.30 pm and continued till 4.30 pm. As the transformer was inside a cramped room, it was not possible for us to douse the flames instantly,’’ he said.

Out of the seven fire tenders, six belonged to the state government and while one was from the HEC.

One of the tenders was fitted with a special protein foam fire extinguisher to douse 5,000 litres of burning oil near the transformer. An eyewitness said the plant did not have proper fire-fighting arrangement.

“Initially, HEC officials tried to control the fire with their own equipment. But it proved inadequate and they had to requisition fire tenders from Doranda and Hatia-based fire stations,” he said.

HEC officials remained tight-lipped about the incident. No one was to comment on the fire. HEC chairman-cum-managing director G.P. Pandey was not available for comment.

An HEC official pegged the loss in crores. “Though the exact damage could not be estimated at that moment, it will be around Rs 3 crore. The transformer alone costs more than Rs 1 crore,” he said. The official said an inquiry committee will probe the reason behind the fire.

“We will set up an inquiry committee within a day or two with a few senior officials of the foundry and forge plant to find out the reason behind the fire. They will submit their report after investigating the reason behind the fire so that there is no repetition of such incidents in the future,” he added.

Another HEC official, however, said the incident was common in the plant and the losses were minor. “The incident is not major. Such fires are common in factories and shop floors where the temperatures are high. The damage cannot be more than Rs 1 crore,” he said.