Electrical equipment worth Rs 50 crore of state-run CSPDCL gutted in fire in Raipur

Transformers and electrical equipment worth around Rs 50 crore were gutted in a major fire at a storage facility of the state-owned Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) here on Friday, officials said.

While no casualties were reported, people living near the facility located in the Gudhiyari area were evacuated.

The fire, which broke out between 1:30 pm and 2 pm, was brought under control after about eight hours, a statement released by the company said.

As many as 30 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Santosh Singh.

Around 4,000 transformers, meters, conductors and other electrical machinery and equipment were stored at the facility spread over eight acres. Fire tenders of the Raipur Municipal Corporation, Raipur Airport, Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), industries of Urla and Siltara in Raipur were called in to fight the blaze, the statement said. Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Power Companies and secretary of the state energy department P Dayanand, Raipur collector Gaurav Sharma, SSP Santosh Singh and other senior officials reached the spot soon after learning about the fire and issued necessary directives to ensure safety of the people in the area and prevent the fire from spreading, it added.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also visited the spot.

An enquiry will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire, he told reporters, adding that there was no loss of lives and the personnel engaged in fire-fighting handled the situation deftly.

Residents of around 40 houses in the vicinity were evacuated as a precautionary measure, he said.

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