One worker was killed and six others were injured when a fire broke out in a garment manufacturing factory here early on Saturday, a fire department officer said.
Machines and merchandise worth several crores of rupees were destroyed in the blaze.
According to chief fire officer Mahaveer Singh, the fire was first noticed in the apparel manufacturing unit, Shanti Garments, situated in Sector-63 around 2.30 am on Saturday.
“We received information around 3 am that the unit had caught fire. A team led by fire station officer Som Dutt Sonkar reached the spot along with five fire tenders. On seeing the extent of the fire, three more tenders were called from the Phase-II fire station,” Mr Singh said.
Initially, the blaze was confined to the first floor, but it started rising towards the second floor, where six workers of the factory were present. The six ran to the top floor to escape the blaze.
“The extent of fire was such that it was difficult for our personnel to enter the premises. While dousing the blaze, fire officer Som Dutt Sonkar and constable Pramod Kumar were injured. Our men rescued a worker Ranjit Singh from the first floor, that was badly engulfed in fire from all sides. He suffered critical burn injuries and died on way to hospital. The deceased hailed from Saptari district in Nepal,” Mr Singh said.
The six persons trapped on the top floor were rescued by the fire brigade officials and rushed to hospital.
The fire is likely to have been triggered by an electrical short-circuit, though the exact reason is yet to be ascertained, Mr Singh added. —IANS