A massive fire that broke out in a chemical godown in Chennai's Madhavaram area has been brought under control by the fire department which has been engaged in efforts to douse the flame for close to 24 hours. Fire department officials present on the ground tell TNM that 90% of the work is done and they continue to spray water only to prevent any chances of reignition.

The fire which had engulfed three blocks of the chemical godown began at 3.15 pm on Saturday. Over 500 police personnel were initially engaged in efforts to douse the massive fire as plumes of smoke darkened the sky above.  Fire engines and metro water tankers from Sengunram, Manali and Ambattur areas were also rushed to the spot to aid in firefighting efforts.

By 3 am, the firefighter had fought off the worst of the fire. They took a three-hour break till 6 am and then JCBs were employed to break down the weaker walls and allow water to flow into the buildings.

"So far, a total of 5,00,000 litres of water has been used to douse the flames," a fire department official from the site tells TNM. "32 fire department tankers and at least 100 water tankers from the Metro water department have come to the spot to provide the necessary water. Metro water sent 24 tankers in one back and they did about 5 rounds," he adds.

According to the official, the fire is completely under control now.

"We are now spraying water in the surroundings to prevent it from erupting again. This will help cool down the debris as well," he adds.

From 500, the number of fire service personnel engaged in dousing flames has reduced to 100. The cause for the fire, however, is yet to be determined.

"The cause will be investigated by the police department," says the official on the site. "But for that first, the forensics department will have to come and examine the area to see what the source of the fire is. They can't do that until we completely finish our operations," he adds.

The fire department had already quelled fears of the smoke being toxic on Saturday, stating that residents in the vicinity will not be affected.

Sailendra Babu, DGP of Fire Services told media personnel at the spot, "Since mostly raw materials for medicines were being made at the factory, we don’t have any reason to believe that people in the nearby vicinities will be at any risk from the smoke or its pollutants. “