Ludhiana: Fire breaks out at hosiery unit in Madhopuri, no casualty

The fire reportedly occurred due to a short circuit; flames also spread to adjoining buildings, but it was brought under control

Strap:

The fire brigade used a 400-metre-long pipe to douse the flames. (HT File Photo)

Raw material worth lakhs of rupees was gutted after a major fire broke out at a hosiery unit located in the congested lanes of Madhopuri locality near Islamia School on Thursday. The fire broke out on the second floor of the four-storey building which houses the hosiery unit. The flames also spread to adjoining buildings, but it was brought under control in time.

Though the fire at the AK Chopra Hosiery broke out at 10 am, fire brigade officials received the information at 10.12 pm following which four fire tenders were pressed into service. From the second floor, it spread to the third and fourth floors of the building.

As the building was located in congested lanes, the fire brigade used extended pipes which were used from the neighbouring buildings. As a precautionary measure, people from the nearby buildings, which house industrial units and residences, were evacuated. While the exact cause of the fire is not known, it reportedly occurred due to a short circuit. The fire brigade used a 400-metre-long pipe to douse the flames.

The factory owner, Amarjeet Chopra said a huge quantity of raw material had been destroyed in the fire. Around five workers, who were present in the building, were safely evacuated. Before the fire brigade reached the spot, neighbours helped in dousing the flames using water pipes from their houses.

Simrandeep Singh, who helped in evacuating the workers, said all workers immediately came down to the first floor. Firefighter Rajinder Singh said they received the information regarding the incident at 10.12pm. He said as most of the buildings in the locality are old, firefighters had to take extra precautions while dousing the flames.

Past incidents

In January this year, a major fire broke out in a handloom store in the Pindi Street area of the city. The fire tenders were refilled over 30 times to douse the flames.

In December last year, a fire broke out in a textile store in the Mochpura area of the old city

In May last year, a major fire broke out at a two-wheeler spare parts shop in a congested area near Subhani building.