Amritsar pharma factory fire: Death toll rises to 4; police team probes cause

All four deceased were working in the factory when it caught on fire at around 3:30 pm on Thursday

Published on: Oct 6, 2023, 10:40:44 IST

By HT News Desk | Reported by Anil Sharma

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Four persons died in a fire that broke out at a pharmaceutical factory on Thursday afternoon in Punjab's Amritsar. According to police officials, a woman is among the four deceased. They were identified as Sukhdeep Singh, Rani, Gurbhej Singh and Kulwinder Singh.

As many as 14 fire tenders were pressed into service and it took around 4 hours to douse the fire (HT)

The deceased were working in the factory when it caught on fire at around 3:30 pm. “Blasts also occurred inside the factory as alcohol was stored in the drums. As many as 14 fire tenders were pressed into service and it took around 4 hours to douse the fire,” said Amritsar district fire officer Dilbag Singh.

According to the preliminary investigation, the fire broke out due to a welding-spark near flammable liquid. Howeverm police team is currently probing the exact cause of the fire.

At the time of the incident, the residents saw high flames coming out of the factory and raised alarm. The smoke spread everywhere in the area around the factory. Sources said hundreds of flammable liquid drums were stored in tha factory causing the fire to spread rapidly.

Ten fire tenders from Air Force, Majitha municipal council, Khanna Paper Mill, Seva Samiti and MC were pressed into service to control the blaze.

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