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Three workers killed, 2 critical as massive fire engulfs hosiery unit in Ludhiana
These five workers got trapped in the fire, while the others managed to escape; there were approximately 25 workers present in the factory at the time of the incident in Ludhiana
Three factory workers were killed and two others critically injured after a hosiery unit, located in a residential area of Ram Nagar in Civil Lines, caught fire on Tuesday.
These five workers got trapped in the fire, while the others managed to escape. There were approximately 25 workers present in the factory at the time of the incident.
The authorities are yet to officially identify the victims. A magisterial enquiry has been ordered into the fire at unit- Ganesh Traders Corporation. The exact reason of the fire is yet to be determined. However, it is suspected that it has been caused by a short circuit.
One of the workers had died on the spot. The others were rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, where two were declared dead and two others are undergoing treatment.
Over two dozen fire tenders were deployed to extinguish the blaze which took place around 1:30pm when some of the factory workers were out for lunch.
“I was out for lunch and when I returned, there was panic all around. Flames were coming out of the building and some of my colleagues were trapped inside,” Ram Anuj, a worker at the factory, said.
Initially, it was not clear how many workers were trapped inside the factory at the time of the incident. However, after approximately 20-25 minutes, some residents who were on their rooftops observed that four to five workers were stuck inside. Following this discovery, the rescue operation was initiated.
The rescue team, comprising fire officials, police personnel and members of the medical team, was able to bring out four workers from the factory and shift them to DMCH.
According to the DMCH officials, four victims were admitted to the hospital out of these two were declared brought dead, while two others are on ventilators and in critical condition. The body of the fifth victim was shifted to the civil hospital.
Worker who went in to get his lunch box perished in blaze
One of the workers, who died in the fire, worker who had returned to retrieve his lunch box was unable to escape and perished in the blaze. A worker Madhav, reportedly went inside the factory to take out his lunch box but was trapped. Madhav was the last one to be extracted from the building three hours after the fire incident.
Nearby residents advised to evacuate
Neha Sharma, who lives in Ram Nagar, said that they were advised to evacuate the area as a safety precaution due to the fire. As a result, she and her family relocated themselves and their belongings, including LPG cylinders, to a secure location.
Ram Bahadur, another resident of the area, mentioned that he witnessed flames and smoke emanating from the factory.
“Initially, the situation did not appear to be severe from the outside, but the interior was totally engulfed in fire. He alerted other residents and urged them to vacate their homes,” he said.
According to fire officer Maninder Singh, a fire alert was received at approximately 1:25pm, and around 24 fire tenders were used to bring the fire under control. It took over three hours to completely extinguish the flames.
ACP Jasroop Kaur Bath and ADCP-I Shubham Aggarwal were present on the spot.
When asked about the factory operating in a residential area, Aggarwal responded that they will verify the factory’s permit.
Kapil Arora, president of Council of Engineers, a private association which had earlier filed complaints before the local bodies department in Chandigarh on growing fire incidents in Ludhiana, said the Punjab government is yet to respond to it.
“Common people will continue to lose their lives in such incidents, while the municipal corporation indulges in corruption under the guise of the Fire Safety Act in Punjab,” he said.
“When will Ludhiana’s fire departments be equipped with hydraulic ladders? It is also important to note that water alone may not be sufficient to put out all kinds of fires,” he said.
