THERE was panic in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Saturday afternoon, when thick smoke, visible from afar, snaked skyward in Bhosari area. The cause was a major fire at ELKAY Chemicals Pvt. Limited and Shivam Industries. The fire that broke out at around 3.40 pm raged till 6.30 pm, when it was finally brought under control. No casualty was reported. But there were some injuries. Basavraj Sharappa Kucchi (32), injured in the incident, sustained 10 per cent burns and was admitted to Yeshwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital. Around 12 workers, all residents of Jadhav Wadi in Chikali, were present in the factory when the fire broke out. They ran out when the fire erupted. Reportedly, sample testing of chemicals was on when the fire started. "The fire was so intense that water tankers from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation, Hadapsar, Chakan, Dehu Cantonment Board, Khadki Cantonment Board and Pune Cantonment Board were pressed into service. Tankers from Tata Motors, Century Enka and other private tankers were also used. Water mixed with aqueous film forming foam was used to douse the flames. The flames on the side where the LPG warehouse is located was brought under control first, keeping in mind the danger if the fire spread to the warehouse," said PCMC medical chief Nagkumar Kunachgi. Disaster management teams rushed in with ambulances and doctors. The factory makes silicone oil from silicone monomers. "We had a stock of 10 tonne of chemicals in the factory," said Ravi Kulkarni, Director, ELKAY Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. A transformer and high-tension wires are located at low height just outside the factory wall. The premises are surrounded by a unit manufacturing auto ancillary parts, a paint shop and a coating plant. The fire also caused minor damage to neighboring plants around ELKAY Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. "This is not the first time the factory has caught fire. A fire incident occurred even last year in this factory during night shift," said Kunachgi. PCMC Mayor Aparna Doke, Deputy Mayor Sharad Borhade and Additional Commissioner Subash Dumbre reached the spot. "A separate zone should be earmarked for chemical factories. The zone should be located outside city area," said Borhade. Doke said raw stock worth Rs 5 crore was destroyed in the fire. Finished goods worth Rs 1 crore stored in a container outside the factory for export were saved, but all the materials stored within the company premises were destroyed. The factory makes chemicals used for making condoms and lubricant oil. It employs around 75 people.