Fire ravages Focal Point cycle factory in Ludhiana, no casualty reported

A major fire broke out at a unit of SK Bikes situated in Phase 7 of Focal Point on Thursday afternoon. No casualty was reported from the spot. A major tragedy was averted as the factory was closed around one-and-a-half hours before the incident as the mother of one of the company’s directors, Rajesh Kapoor, had passed away in the morning.

A major fire broke out at a unit of SK Bikes situated in Phase 7 of Focal Point on Thursday afternoon. No casualty was reported from the spot.

Firefighters trying to control fire at SK Bikes, Phase 7, Focal point area in Ludhiana on Thursday. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

A major tragedy was averted as the factory was closed around one-and-a-half hours before the incident as the mother of one of the company’s directors, Rajesh Kapoor, had passed away in the morning.

As per the information, the fire broke out at around 1.30pm when only a security guard was present at the unit. He raised an alarm following which fire tenders were rushed to the spot. A large number of workers from nearby areas also gathered at the spot. The reason behind the fire is uncertain.

It is learnt that the factory labourers opened the partition gates inside the unit, due to which the flames spread to other sections, ravaging cycle parts including a large number of tyres kept in the unit. As the flames engulfed the whole unit by the evening, the fire brigade had to summon fire tenders from other sub divisions and cities including Jagraon, Sahnewal, Samrala, Khanna, Jalandhar and Phagwara.

The firefighting operation turned out to be an uphill battle due to absence of safety gear. The firemen had to cover their faces with a cloth and were facing trouble in getting closer due to the heat. A firefighter said the authorities make tall claims of upgrading fire brigade but cannot even provide proper safety suits to firemen. The firefighters said the safety arrangements made by the factory owner were inadequate as there was no water reservoir due to which they had to move out for refilling the fire tenders.