Noida toy manufacturing unit goes up in flames

Presence of flammable chemicals in the unit aggravated the fire

Three people, including a firefighter, received minor injuries in a massive fire that broke out in a wooden toys and accessories manufacturing unit at Sector 63 on Tuesday morning.

Over 40 firefighters used 25 fire tenders and a hydraulic platform to put out the fire. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The firefighter, Rajesh Sharma, fell during the firefighting operation. He received injuries on his right arm and was rushed to the district hospital in Sector 30.

According to the fire department team, at 9:30am smoke started coming out the building that houses Neo Crafts Impex Private Limited, which manufactures and exports wooden toys and accessories.

The building has five storeys and a basement and over 400 people were present at the time of the incident. The building was not damaged, but most of the furniture and toys stocked inside were charred.

Eyewitnesses said they saw smoke coming from the building, after which all the workers rushed out. Three people received minor injuries and were provided first aid by the firefighters at the spot.

Over 40 firefighters, 25 fire tenders, one hydraulic platform and a police team from the Phase 3 police station were pressed into service. Firefighters also used water from a tank near the spot. It took almost six hours to put out the fire.

As the fire broke out, workers of the unit used five fire extinguishers, but the flames raged out of control and fire tenders were called in. Before starting the operation to douse the flames, firefighters went inside the building to ensure no one was trapped.

According to officials, a short circuit could have caused the fire.

“Wood and other flammable materials were stored inside the building, due to which the fire got out of control. It took us around six hours to douse the flames,” said Akshay Ranjan Sharma, chief fire officer, Ghaziabad, who rushed to the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

The circle officer (city 2) Ajay Kumar and superintendent of police (city), Dinesh Yadav also rushed to the spot along with administration officials.

Gajraj Singh (48), a worker at the unit, said, “We use chemicals for the toys’ finishing before packing them to send to various parts of the country and abroad. It was because of a short circuit and the presence of flammable material such as thinner that the fire spread rapidly.”

Nanak Singh (55), who looks after the labour work of the unit, said employees work from 9am to 5pm.

“Two workers received minor injuries while running out of the building. No one was trapped inside and all floors were checked,” he said.