4 killed, 12 injured in fire at MIDC dyeing units

A massive fire broke out in two dyeing units in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) phase II here on Wednesday killing four people and injuring 12.

A massive fire broke out in two dyeing units in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) phase II here on Wednesday killing four people and injuring 12.

HT Image

The fire was sparked due to some mechanical fault in Pooja Dyeing, and spread to SV Fabrics, which is adjacent to it.

Four industrial workers, Kuldeep Mohilee, 35, Nandkumar Jha, 40, Mohiddin Garib Miya ,52, and Ramprakash Tiwari, 40, were killed in the fire. Dilip Gund, the deputy chief fire officer of MIDC, Dombivli said: “We got a phone call at 3.40am, informing us of the fire. When we reached the spot, the fire had begun to spread, so we had to control it and not let it spread to other units.”

When the fire broke out, around 100 employees were in the factory. While some managed to rush out, a few were trapped in the building. “It took four hours and 12 fire tenders to extinguish it. We rescued 18 employees from the first and second floors.”

Prima facie, it was found that a pipeline carrying some inflammable chemical burst and the chemical caught fire. “It then assumed gigantic proportions as the store room contained clothes, paper and other material that fed the fire,” said Gund.

Inspector Prakash Nilewad said: “We are filing a case against maintenance department officers Atul Singh and Pramod Naik. We found negligence on behalf of the maintenance department. The pipeline was old and rusted. Also, the factory did not have multiple exits.”