Ghaziabad: Major fire guts Sahibabad cycle factory

According to officials, about a dozen fire trucks were rushed to bring the blaze under control

A major fire engulfed a tri-cycle manufacturing unit at Sahibabad Site IV Industrial Area in Ghaziabad on Friday morning. According to fire department officials, nearly a dozen fire tenders from various fire stations in Ghaziabad and Noida were roped in to bring the fire under control.

Officials said the fire broke out at the basement of the cycle manufacturing unit where highly flammable such as tyres and plastic were stored. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The officials who rushed to the spot said that the fire started at the basement where highly flammable such as tyres and plastic were stored. The fire broke out at 8am. Firefighters had to bring in earthmoving machines to break the two sides of the unit in order to reach the source of the blaze and douse the flames.

“The area was encroached on and there was no space for fire trucks and firefighters to move in. The cause of the fire hasn’t been ascertained as yet. The fire safety equipment installed at the manufacturing unit couldn’t douse the flames. Plastic and rubber stored in large quantities at the unit only resulted in the fire going out of control. We had a tough time dousing the flames,” Som Dutt Sonkar, fire safety officer who rushed to the scene from Vaishali with his team, said.

Officials said a similar fire incident had taken place at the same unit when incense sticks were made there. Four tenders from Noida and rest from other stations at Sahibabad, Vaishali and Ghaziabad were roped in to douse the leaping flames on Friday morning.

“There were no casualties as the fire broke out in the morning while the workers weren’t around. The exact cause of fire would be known once an inspection of the unit is conducted,” Sonkar added.

According to officials, the fire broke out at the basement and engulfed the ground floor before spreading to the first and second floor of the building. The unit manufactures tri-cycles for children.