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Narrow escape for 7 as fire breaks out in Ludhiana hosiery unit
Though no casualty was reported, good and machinery worth lakhs was destroyed in the incident.
Seven workers had a narrow escape after a major fire broke out at a hosiery unit, Trimurti Knitting works, in the congested Pritampura area of Sardar Nagar on Wednesday morning. Though no casualty was reported, good and machinery worth lakhs was destroyed in the incident. Set on around 2,000 square yards of land, the building also got partially damaged.
As per information, more than 20 workers were present in the factory when the fire broke out at the third floor around 9.15am. Seven of them, who were stuck on the fourth floor, escaped to an adjoining building using a ladder. They suffered minor injuries.
The third floor where the fire broke out was used to store the hosiery material. The flames, however, were restricted to third floor itself as 12 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the blaze. Apart from that one private fire tender of Vardhman group and one from Halwara airbase was also pressed into service.
Anand, a factory worker, said that there was no power in the morning and when the workers entered the factory, one of them turned on the generator set. Few minutes later, the factory workers sounded a fire alarm, prompting the rest to escape to safety. He added that since the building had two exits, the workers were able to escape to safety quickly.
Vishal, another worker, said that seven workers were stuck on the fourth floor as they had gone there to use the washroom there. “After the fire broke out on the third floor, the workers had no place to run. Fortunately, they had a ladder using which, they came down through the adjoining building,” he said.
Fire station officer Shristi Nath said they received an alert at 9.35am and immediately rushed 12 fire tenders to the spot immediately. “Two fire tenders from Vardhman group and Halwara airbase also reached the spot. No casualty was reported. The building had fire safety equipment but there was some damage to the building. Fire tenders were refilled over 60 times,” said Nath.
MC commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar also visited the spot along with mayor Balkar Sandhu and additional commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal. The mayor said that he received a complaint that the fire tender was not working properly but when he reached the spot, he found that it was the onlookers who were posing a hurdle.
The firefighters were still dousing the flames at the time of the filing of the report.
Congress leaders rush to spot
Congress leaders, including MLA Surinder Dawar, MLA Rakesh Pandey’s son Dushant Pandey, Mayor Balkar Sandhu, Congress district president Ashwani Sharma, and councillor Manpreet Grewal made a beeline for the spot after reports of the fire came in.
Panic gripped nearby areas
Panic gripped the nearby areas after the blaze, prompting the owner of the adjoining unit also to shift the raw material from his factory to prevent the further spread of fire. Trimurti Knitting works, where the fire broke out, is situated in a congested area but fortunately there a vacant plot adjoining the factory, which was used to station the fire tenders. Some industrialists, who had gathered at the spot, demanded that the MC should install hydrants in their area so that firemen don’t have to go far away to refill the fire tenders.
Firefighters ill-equipped
Lack of proper firefighting equipment, including hydraulic ladder, face masks, and fire safety suits, posed a hindrance for firemen at the spot. One of the firefighters, requesting anonymity, said it was difficult for them to enter the building due to heat. “If the department had a hydraulic ladder, we could have used to it reach the third floor and douse flames in comparatively lesser time. Besides, smoke causes irritation in the eyes and throat. Several requests have been sent to the MC and the local bodies department for proper face masks but to no avail,” he added.
A few months ago, the mayor had announced that fire safety suits would be purchased for Ludhiana fire brigade but nothing has been done so far. The demand of a hydraulic ladder was also raised after the Surat coaching centre blaze, which claimed the lives of at least 20 students.
Recent major fire incidents
July 26: One killed and 13 injured after an explosion took place in the furnace of a steel unit situated in Bholapur village (Jhabewal) on Chandigarh road.
July 8: Five persons were injured after a fire broke out at a hosiery unit in Madhopuri.
June 22: A major fire ripped through a two-storey building in Phase- V of Focal Point. Two firemen and a few onlookers had suffered minor injuries in the incident.
June 17: A major fire broke out at a yarn-manufacturing unit in Kanganwal.
June 14: Fire broke out in three hosiery units in Shivpuri.
June 6: A part of the knitwear factory in Seera village collapsed following a massive fire
June 1: A major fire broke out at the godown of the cable company in Gill village. The fire was so intense that a portion of the godown had collapsed.
