18 killed in fire at a company in Pune’s Pirangut

The fire was reported at around 5 pm from the company located in the Urawade area of Pirangut.

The local fire brigade officials have recovered eighteen dead bodies in a fire accident at a company in Pirangur MIDC area of Pune on Monday evening, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) fire chief Devendra Potphode said.

12 killed, 5 missing in fire at a company in Pune’s Pirangut

"We have so far recovered 18 bodies. We are still searching if anyone is still inside," Potphode said.

Suhas Diwase, chief executive officer, PMRDA said the bodies are too charred to tell how many of them are men and women.

The fire was reported at around 5 pm from the company located in the Urawade area of Pirangut. It was reported to have been doused by the fire brigade by 6:43 pm. The cooling process has started and the fire brigade has started a sweep of the area to search, rescue, and recover bodies. The Pune rural police are also involved in the rescue and search operation.

A total of 8 fire tender units were rushed to the spot, 6 by the PMRDA and 2 by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

Nikunj Shah, Director, SVS Aqua, where the fire broke out, said, “The firm is involved in manufacturing chemicals required for purification of water. This chemical is not inflammable and we suspect a short circuit as the cause of the incident. At this point, there are few more workers still trapped inside.”