Panchkula, May 13 -- Fire erupted amid a series of explosions in an ink manufacturing factory in Industrial Area, Phase 2, on Monday. Though no one was injured, it caused significant damage to the building, officials said. It took over two hours for firefighters to bring the situation under control. Two workers and Sanket Dass, son of the owner, were inside the unit when the latter sensed a strange odour in the chemical storage area from where smoke began emanating. They vacated the premises and called the fire brigade. Within minutes, a powerful explosion occurred, and fire engulfed the stock of thinners, pigments, resin, etc, resulting in several minor explosions. Ten fire engines from the Sector 5 fire station, two from Sector 20, one from Barwala and two more from Chandigarh were rushed to the spot. The police evacuated the surrounding area. A domestic gas cylinder in a makeshift kitchen within the plant was removed. Fire officer Tarsem Singh said the building lacked a fire no-objection certificate and also the adequate safety measures were ignored. He said the refilling dates mentioned on fire extinguishers were invalid. Further probe is on, officials added. Meanwhile, Sanket said the plant manufactures ink used for printing on bags and other materials, supplying it across north India.htc...