Fire destroys illegal oil unit in Loni

A major fire broke out in an illegal industrial unit in Krishna Vihar in Loni.

A major fire broke out in an illegal industrial unit in Krishna Vihar in Loni. The fire broke out around 2 am on Sunday and engulfed the entire factory area, which is involved in illegal storage and processing of engine oil. It took more than 10 hours to douse the fire. No one was injured.

HT Image

The police said the fire started when two underground oil storage tanks, used for storing black oil, caught fire. Some residents of Krishna Vihar said the unit operated during night time and on Saturday night, they had seen six people and two trucks entering the factory.

Two fire tenders from Ghaziabad, one foam-tender from Noida and one from Sahibabad fire stations were pressed into service. A foam-tender is used in extinguishing chemical and industrial fires.

Another foam-tender from Hindon air base was also pressed into service. The authorities had sealed the factory some time ago but a month back, it restarted its operations. The owner of the unit, Pradeep Goyal, has gone missing. The police have not registered any case as of now.

Ghaziabad FSO AP Singh said: “An enquiry will be initiated to know why the factory restarted its operations. Instructions have been given to find other illegal units running in the area.”