Oil Drums Explode After Fire, 4 Firemen Injured Battling Flames

Akola: Oil drums exploded after a massive fire broke out at a tractor showroom in Shivni area along Murtijapur Road in Akola on Sunday, triggering panic in vicinity. Four firemen sustained burn injuries while battling the flames. The fire, which broke out at the basement of the three-storey Shriram Tower barely 50 foot from a petrol pump, spread rapidly due to the presence of oil and scrap material. As smoke billowed from the site while blasts occurred one by one, authorities swiftly shut the petrol pump to avert a disaster.Fire tenders from both MIDC fire station and Akola Municipal Corporation (AMC) managed to bring the blaze under control after nearly three hours of intense firefighting. Multiple water rounds were carried out, and even private hydrants were used to contain the fire. Two of the injured firemen, Mangesh Bijwar and Abhay Jadhav, are from the MIDC fire station, while other two, Prem Tayade and Vijay Sonone, are from the AMC fire brigade. Despite limited resources, personnel risked their lives to control the blaze. As per chief fire officer Manish Kathale, the injured firemen have been admitted to a private hospital.The showroom, owned by Naresh Agrawal and rented out to Ganesh Tayade, housed around 12 tractors, all of which were safely moved out in time. Spare parts and furniture inside the showroom were extensively damaged. According to Tayade, losses are estimated at around 12–15 lakh.Information suggests around 40 to 50 drums were stored in the basement, some of which contained oil. Several of these drums exploded during the fire. A preliminary suspicion is that burning garbage in an adjacent plot may have triggered the blaze after sparks entered the basement through a window.