Miraculous escapes and unanswered questions: Villagers in Pune’s Solu recount industrial blaze

However, Ranveer, the two-and-a-half-year old grandson of the family was not that lucky. Currently, he is undergoing treatment for burn injuries at a private hospital in Alandi.

“He was outside on the porch. Before his mother could pick him up, his face was burnt. The doctors have already conducted plastic surgery but he would require some more care before being discharged,”said Swati, a family member.

The house was packed with guests when the chemicals stored inside unit caught fire that led to an explosion around 4:45pm. (Credits: Partha Sarathi Biswas)

The village of Solu on the Alandi Markal road was shaken to the core on February 8 when a non-operational alloy manufacturing unit suddenly went up in flames. Four days after the incident, the area still bears unmistakable signs of the incident.

Four two-wheelers, which were parked along the wall of the Gawade’s residence, are burnt to cinders with the burning blocks of metal and flying bricks tearing down on the thatched roof of the houses nearby.

Sheila’s husband Chandrakant ran a flower decoration stall. All his material, including the steel frames he used, now lie tangled in an unrecognized mess. “Our house was full of relatives…there were around five gas cylinders. As soon as the fire started, we managed to take them out and keep them at a distance away from the fire. I shudder to think what would have happened if even one of them had caught fire,” he said.

Not all were as lucky as the Gawades. The incident so far has claimed five lives while 18 others have sustained injuries. Among those who died include 81-year-old Ramchandra Nimbalkar, who was on his way to check the cane crop he planted in his field two months ago.

“My father was on a two wheeler. The fire broke out when he came near the unit. Unfortunately, his vehicle caught fire,” said Ramchandra’s son Santosh. The Nimbalkars stay around a kilometre away from the site of the fire incident. As his younger son was out, Ramchandra had decided to check on the fields himself, a decision that cost him his life.

Four two-wheelers, which were parked along the wall of the Gawade’s residence, are burnt to cinders with the burning blocks of metal and flying bricks tearing down on the thatched roof of the houses nearby. (Credit: Partha Sarathi Biswas)

However, the question which is on everyone’s mind in Solu is how did a non operational unit catch fire. This is the first time residents have seen an industrial accident of this magnitude in their area. “How did the accident happen when the unit has not been operational since four years?” asked Atul Pawar, another villager.

While the police had conducted the first enquiries, no one else have visited the injured or the families of the deceased. The Gawades had invested in an electric vehicle just a few months ago. All that is left is a mass of tangled steel bars. “No one has paid us a visit…who will compensate for our losses,” said villagers.