Fire services personnel faced tough time controlling Ammonia gas leak in Jammu factory

Jammu, May 14 (PTI) Fire and Emergency Services personnel worked for hours together to control Ammonia gas leak in a cold storage and ice factory which caught fire here, officials said on Tuesday.

The fire was reported in the factory at Gole Pulley in the outskirts of Jammu on Monday evening but timely and swift action by the fire and emergency services saved lives and property worth crores, an official of the department said.

He said the firemen bravely evacuated people to safety and controlled the fire.

However, it was found that hazardous Ammonia gas was leaking and two officers, risking their lives, tried to plug the knob but found that the control valve was damaged, the official said, adding that some minor injuries were reported.

The official said an alternate mechanism, including the use of water mixture with baking soda, was adopted at the directions of Deputy Director R K Raina, who also rushed to the scene with more fire tenders from different fire stations.

The residents of the entire area were evacuated and the operation continued throughout the night, he said, adding that the police, administration, SDRF and NDRF teams also visited the spot to coordinate and assist in the operation.

The leak was finally controlled on Tuesday morning and the operation was called off around 2 pm, the official said.