Major fire breaks out at BBTC tea factory in Nalumukku

A major fire broke out at the tea factory located in Nalumukku area of Manjolai hills of Tirunelveli district in the early hours of Sunday, with the cause allegedly reported to be explosion of a gas cylinder during dismantling the machinery.

The tea factory is owned by the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTC). As the company’s lease was set to expire in 2028, BBTC had ceased its operation at the unit. As a result most of the workers had already vacated the premises.

For the past few days, work had been under way to dismantle and remove iron machinery from the closed factory. Around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, while workers were engaged in welding work, a cylinder caught fire and exploded.

An official from the Tirunelveli district administration said, “It is reported that gas cylinders used in welding work caught fire and exploded. This explosion triggered a massive fire, which spread rapidly across the factory premises. Fortunately, no casualties were reported and no one was injured in the accident”

He added that Fire and Rescue Services Personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control around 10 a.m.

Since the factory is located in a forested area, officials from forest, revenue and police departments assisted the firefighters in preventing the fire from spreading to nearby forests.

An official from the forest department said, “The fire did not spread to the forest area and no harm was caused to any wild animals.”