Fire in Aksharnidhi Pharma Unit resulted in toxic gas formation at Sanjali village on Jan 11

A fire broke out due to gas leakage in a pharma company at Aksharnidhi Pharma in the Panoli GIDC area in Sanjali Village of Bharuch, Gujarat at around 11 pm on January 11. Fire tenders were informed immediately whereas the firefighting continued till late at night.

Fortunately, no casualty was reported in this incident whereas several residents started complaining of burning eyes when efforts were being made to control the blaze.

However, 1,000 people from Sanjali village were shifted to Kharod village primary school and other nearby locations as a precautionary measure. Whereas the people were allowed to return to their homes after a few hours when the situation normalised.

According to the sources, the use of water led to gas formation. The solvent stored in the plant produced gas and smoke due to the use of water, which could have caused problems for the nearby villagers.

According to the police officials, the fire in the pharmaceutical unit and the efforts to control it led to gas formation. Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials monitored the air quality. A team from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were unable to collect samples as the plant was damaged in the blaze. It is yet not clear exactly how the gas was formed but a preliminary assessment says the gas formation happened during firefighting because of the use of water. The exact cause of gas formation will be revealed by further investigation.