Fire at PTPS brought under control after 18 hours

Ranchi, Aug 11 (UNI) After 18 hours of battle, a massive fire, which engulfed Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) last night, was brought under control today but only after the inferno gutted two major units destroying property worth about Rs 60 crore.

Hectic efforts followed to end the total breakdown in the plant as light up had been done in the Russian unit, which was expected to generate 40 MW by tonight.

No casualty was reported from the site, about 40 KM from here.

Fifteen people, including the PTPS general manager P M Singh, fell unconscious due to suffocation caused by thick smoke from the burnt cables.

Talking to UNI, Mr Singh confirmed about control over the fire and also informed that if situation allowed they expected to make unit number I with 35 MW capacity functional by tomorrow.

Mr Singh said unit number IX and X were destroyed which had the capacity to generate 105 MW.

He ruled out any inquiry to ascertain the cause of the fire as it was attributed to over-current in the breaker.

The fire devastated breaker rooms, control rooms, station service transformers and under ground cables.

The PTPS had initially A capacity of 840 MW and it was reduced to 770 MW.

Before the fire, the plant was generating only 30 per cent of its total capacity.

Earlier, a security officer monitoring the fire control operation told UNI that about eight fire tenders had been pressed into service to contain further spread of fire.

''The scene turned worse as thick black smoke continued to billow from the burnt cables making it impossible for the fire tenders to breathe properly,'' he said, adding more fire personnel were being rushed from neighbouring Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Bokaro.

The cause of the fire was stated to be short circuit in the underground cables at unit NUMBER IX. The fire which erupted at about 2030 hrs last night, later surfaced engulfing the tranformer of the unit. Then it spread to unit number X, the official said.

With fire raging at the major thermal project at Patratu, the capital town suffered power cut last night.

However, 40 MW was managed from Chandil loop line for VIP localities, railways and others.

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