Fire Department fights large fire in Itaquaquecetuba, in SP An employee of the chemical industry hit by a large fire in Itaquaquecetuba, in Greater São Paulo, said he was inside the company when the flames started on Tuesday afternoon (4). According to him, the priority was to safely remove all employees. ? Click to follow the g1 Mogi das Cruzes e Suzano channel on WhatsApp According to Erivan de Souza, the company's forklift and chemical process operator, the flames started suddenly and then mobilized employees to leave the site. "No one is prepared for this. It all happened very quickly," he said. According to Erivan, all employees managed to leave the company without injuries. "Our concern was to get everyone out alive, without injury. We recover the lost material assets later. The important thing is the lives of the employees", he said. According to the Military Police and the Fire Department, teams were called at around 3:22 pm. Initially, eight vehicles were sent to the scene. By 4:30 pm, the number of vehicles involved in fighting the flames had risen to 17. READ MORE Large fire hits chemical industry in Itaquaquecetuba Video shows smoke after manhole explosion during fire in chemical industry in Greater SP; SEE Aerial images show the extent of fire in a chemical industry in Greater São Paulo; SEE Why can fires in solvent industries spread so quickly? Understand The teams continue to fight the fire and isolated the area to ensure the safety of the population. Residents of the region A resident who lives opposite the chemical industry affected by the fire in Itaquaquecetuba stated that neighbors had complained several times about the strong smell of chemicals in the region before the accident. "This was already announced. We've already gone to the company three times to complain about the chemicals being thrown down the drain", said health agent Eliane Cristina Barbosa. According to her, the odor was frequent. "From 10 am there was a horrible smell of thinner. The smell of chemicals, of gasoline. We didn't know what the product was." Aerial images show the scene of the fire in Itaquaquecetuba Cristina Mayumi / Rede Globo Eliane said she was working when she heard about the fire and ran home. When he arrived in the neighborhood, he found the area in chaos. "When it started to explode, they told everyone to run because they said everything was going to blow up." Fire mobilized firefighters and caused explosions Gif shows fire in factory in Greater SP Reproduction A large fire hit a chemical industry in Itaquaquecetuba, in Greater São Paulo, on Tuesday afternoon (4). According to the Military Police and the Fire Department, teams were called at around 3:22 pm. Initially, eight vehicles were sent to the scene, but the number of personnel was reinforced throughout the incident and reached 17 vehicles to fight the flames. According to Civil Defense, explosions were recorded during the fire and there is preliminary information about a possible leak of a chemical component. The causes of the incident are yet to be investigated by the competent bodies. The area was isolated, and nearby industries were evacuated as a safety measure. EDP ??interrupted the power supply around the factory to ensure the safety of the teams. Until the last update of this report, there were no records of victims. Large fire hits chemical industry in Itaquaquecetuba Arte / g1 Watch more news about Alto Tietê