1 dead, 6 injured; it took 18 hours and 40 fire tenders to douse flames
Ludhiana : One person died and six others were injured when a fire broke out in a five-storied textile industry-Advaith International-in Sunder Nagar. The fire started in the wee hours on May 26 and could only be controlled by evening. The extent of fire was such that it took almost 18 hours for the fire tenders to douse the flames.Factory owners have claimed that goods, including machinery, finished products and raw material worth Rs 12 crore were destroyed in the fire. About 40 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.
The deceased has been identified as Suraj (22), a resident of Assam, who was presently residing in New Madhopuri along with his sister and brother-in-law. He was unmarried and was working in this factory for the past a few months. His parents were living in Assam.
Officials of the fire department suspect that the short circuit could be the reason behind this incident. The building also has two-storied basement.
The fire, which broke out in the basement, spread in the entire building within minutes. Pankaj Kumar, owner of Advaith International Company, which manufactures T-shirts and fabric, said he had lost everything. “I am ruined. Goods and machinery worth Rs 12 crore has been gutted,” he claimed.
Fire brigade officials trying to douse flames at a textile factory in Sunder Nagar in Ludhiana
It was at around 1.30 am when the officials of the fire brigade received information about this incident. The fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but the fire had engulfed the entire building by then.
Mandeep Singh, SHO of the Basti Jodhewal police station, said Suraj’s body was recovered in the evening. “We have come to know from eyewitnesses that a group of seven persons were working in the night shift. When they saw smoke entering their floor, they rushed out to save themselves. While six of them managed to come out from the window, Suraj was trapped inside because he lost his balance and fell down. His friends said Suraj got trapped because the entire floor was full of smoke and soon fire broke out. His badly charred body was recovered after the flames were doused,” the SHO added.
The police has sent Suraj’s body for the post-mortem examination. “We have not registered any case into the matter yet. Next course of action will be taken only after recording the statements of eyewitness and Suraj’s family members,” the SHO added.
