E-Paper
2 hurt as shop-cum-godowngoes up in flames in Ludhiana
The incident took place around 5.30am when the staff was loading disposable plastic material into the truck; 25 highly inflammable chemical and fuel containers were taken out safely, but a huge pile of disposable plates, cups and polythene bags which were kept in the four-story shop-cum-godown were gutted in flames.
A massive fire broke out at a shop-cum-godown selling plastic material in Kucha No 16 of Field Ganj here this morning. Two people, including the factory owner’s son and an employee, suffered injuries in the incident. They were rushed to the hospital for treatment where they are now stated to be stable.
The incident took place around 5.30am when the staff was loading disposable plastic material into the truck.
Lead fire officer Harjinder Kumar said the fire first broke out at a grocery unit in the building, owned by one Gurdeep Singh. As the fire started to spread, panic-stricken residents living in the vicinity started rushing out of their houses.
Gurdeep, along with his son Jagmeet, immediately reached the spot and informed the fire department. Jagmeet tried to open the shutter of the shop, but it fell upon him, leaving him injured.
In the meanwhile, Toni, an employee who was stuck inside the store, tried to escape through the stairs but as the fire was spreading quickly, he was left with no option but to go the terrace and jump to an adjoining building. He successfully managed to jump to safety but suffered a fracture in his leg in the process. After this, Jagmeet and Toni were rushed to the hospital.
Division No 2 station house officer, Satpal Singh Sidhu, along with the police party and PCR cops, cordoned off the area.
He said that around 25 highly inflammable chemical and fuel containers were taken out safely, but a huge pile of disposable plates, cups and polythene bags which were kept in the four-story shop-cum-godown were gutted in flames.
Assistant divisional fire officer (ADFO) Swarn Chand, 60, said fire tenders containing over 2.5 lakh litres of water and 25 firefighters were pressed into service to douse the flames.
He said the fire was brought under control around 11am.
Material worth over ₹1 crore gutted in flames, building damaged:
According to a relative of Gurdeep Singh, owner of the building, stock worth over ₹1 crore was stored in the building. He said the fire arrangement was in place but before Gurdeep could use the fire hydrant, the blaze spread in the entire building.
Harjinder Kumar, the lead fire officer, said the structure of the building has been badly damaged due to the fire incident. He added that the fire hydrant installed by the owner was not functional. The firefighters had to dig a hole in the wall on the fourth floor for using water guns to douse the flames.
Authorities failed to check presence of inflammables in building: Residents
As police evacuated residents of at least 15 houses located close to the shop-cum-godown in Field Ganj area where a massive fire broke out on Thursday morning, residents complained that authorities had failed to check the presence of inflammables in the vicinity.
“We learnt that several fuel containers were stored in the building. This is a densely populated area. What if an explosion had occurred? The building would have collapsed just like the plastic factory at Suffian Chowk (which was gutted in 2017). Who would have been responsible then,” asked Jagjit Singh, 68, a resident of the area.
Another resident, Ajit Singh, 62, who had just returned with his wife and daughter, from a trip, said, “We were lucky that we were not at home when the fire broke out. My house is located right next to the building that caught fire. The firemen asked us stay away.”
Residents revealed that this was not the first such incident at the shop-cum-godown. A labourer had died after a lift installed in the building fell on him.
Tough time for cops
The cops also had a tough time controlling the crowd during firefighting operations as residents continued to assemble near the building, with scant regard for their own safety. Even children were seen walking towards building, some even trying to record the incident on their phones. SHO Satpal Singh Sidhu, who had rushed to the spot with his team, said, “It is the responsibility of elders to teach the children to stay away, but unfortunately even the elders were seen assembling near the building, obstructing the free passage of fire tenders.”
Deja vu for firefighters:
For the 25 firefighters who rushed to douse the flames, the incident was a stark reminder of Suffian Chowk factory fire in November 20, 2017, which had left 16 persons, including nine fire officers, dead. Witnessing large plumes of smoke, the firefighters were initially reluctant to enter the building. But after an hour of struggle, Pankaj Sharma, Varinder Singh, Gulshan Kumar decided to get in. Lead fire officer Harjinder Singh, who was coordinating the operation, said that due to the heat and smoke, the firefighters were sent in batches. In the absence of proper equipment, many firefighters were seen coughing and gasping for breath as they came out of the building.
In the absence of a hydraulic ladder, the firefighter had to risk their lives and enter the building amidst fear that it may collapse any moment.
