Pulgaon fire tragedy: Cause not known yet, but fire safety top priority now

Pune has three important ordnance depots – Ordnance Depot (OD) in Talegaon, Dehu Ammunition Depot (DAD) and Dighi Magazine. Pune also has establishments like Ammunition Factory and High Explosives Factory in Khadki, High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pashan. Some of these establishments have been witness to accidents in the past.

Read | Fire in Pulgaon army depot, which killed 16, completely doused, says military official 

Lt Col Yashwant Umralkar (Retd), who has served at the Central Ammunition Depot in Pulgaon where the incident on Tuesday took place and also at Talegaon COD in the past, said, “Time and again, it has been told to people at these depots that fire is one of the biggest enemies. Every such establishment has a fire brigade of its own and drills and exercises in tackling real-life scenarios are held. There are surprise drills too.”

Injured jawans being treated at a hospital. (Source: ANI)

He added, “Fire safety audits are regularly carried out and based on the findings of these audits, corrective measures are taken. It would be wrong to speculate the cause of the incident in Pulgaon, at this stage. The findings of the inquiry would give us clues.”

[related-post]

An officer of Brigadier rank, who recently retired from the Army Ordnance Corps, said, “Considering the kind of explosive assets stored at these depots, small fires can multiply within no time and cause severe damages. For example, even grass or dry leaves can catch fire and lead to big incidents. Though, even minute details are taken care of, such incidents can impart lessons for future. I am sure the inquiry will give us clues.”

A serving officer from the Ordnance Corps who was posted in Pune in the past said, “We must understand that the Army is not a rigid organisation. It is always evolving and I am sure that we learn from whatever happens. In this particular incident, we have lost precious lives but finding of the inquiry will be definitely studied in detail for safety reasons.”

A press release issued by the Army on Tuesday said, “The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. Actions to assess the damage are in progress. An inquiry has been ordered by the Army.” Officials said that a medical team comprising a neurologist, anaesthetist and forensic experts from the Southern Command has been sent to Pulgaon.