E-Paper
Fire ravages three hosiery waste godowns in Ludhiana
The fire started in one of the godowns due to a short-circuit around 10.30 am, around half-an-hour after the owner left the site, and soon spread to the other godowns, which were covered by the same shed. The owners said they had incurred heavy losses.
Panic gripped the congested Mayapuri area on Tibba Road after three adjoining hosiery waste godowns went up in flames on Tuesday morning.
The fire started in one of the godowns due to a short-circuit around 10.30 am, around half-an-hour after the owner left the site, and soon spread to the other godowns, which were covered by the same shed. The owners said they had incurred heavy losses.
The flames also spread to two units on the rear side of the godown, but they suffered minimal damage due to the timely intervention of the fire department. In the meantime, owners of other nearby buildings also started removing hosiery waste from their establishments.
Thirteen fire tenders were dispatched to the spot and the flames were doused after a six-hour firefighting operation. No casualty was reported. However, a car and a motorcycle parked near the godowns were gutted.
Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising from the spot from a distance. Firefighters had a tough time controlling the flames due to the thick smoke. “Hosiery products are primarily highly inflammable. Besides, there were no fire safety arrangements at the godown,” a fire official, who did not wish to be named, said.
Sub-fire officer (SFO) Atish Rai and leading fireman Rajinder Singh said the fire tenders were refilled around 70 times till 4:45 pm.
A large number of labourers and onlookers also gathered at the spot as chaos reigned in the area, owing to the presence of residential units in the vicinity. Police had a tough time pacifying the onlookers. Heavy police deployment was seen in the area. Cops were seen keeping onlookers away from the building, and clearing the path for the fire brigade.
