Owner among two charred to death in Lucknow factory fire
As per the police, although the factory had been closed for over a year now, some work was going on there at the time of the incident
Two people, including the owner, were charred to death when a massive fire broke out in a three-storey biscuit factory in Sarojini Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on Saturday, police said. Property worth lakhs, including a car, was also gutted in the blaze, they added.
As per the police, although the factory had been closed for over a year now, some work was going on there at the time of the incident.
“The deceased were identified as factory owner Akhilesh Kumar, 45, a Mawaiyya (in Charbagh) resident and a worker Abrar, 45, who lived in Masjid Wali Gali Jayraj Puri Colony, Sarojini Nagar, but hailed from Bahraich,” said a Lucknow Police statement.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (south), Amit Kumawat, said: “The factory owner’s son Hrithik Kumar, who was also present on the spot, told police that welding work was going on there and it seems that spark during welding led to the fire.”
According to Mangesh Kumar, Lucknow’s chief fire officer, the blaze was reported at 4:30 pm at Sweety Food Factory building in Ganganagar, Amausi, under Sarojini Nagar police station. It required assistance from nearby fire stations, he added.
Kumar further said the two men were badly burnt when they were taken out. It took firefighters nearly two hours contain the blaze, he added. As per the police, the fire spread across all three floors of the building in no time. The blaze was so intense that thick smoke was visible from a distance of around 2 km. The incident created panic among locals who rushed out of their homes and began evacuating their belongings.
ACP, Krishna Nagar, Vikas Pandey, who too rushed to the spot to oversee rescue efforts, said, “Biscuits and rusks used to be made here. Shut for 1.5 years, the factory was opened only three days ago as some work was to be done there. A probe into the incident has been started.”
On getting information, a police team of Sarojini Nagar along with fire brigade reached the spot and started relief and rescue work. Later, the SDRF also reached there, police said.
“With the help of 15 to 16 vehicles of local police station and fire team, the fire was completely controlled by around 7 pm and two people trapped there were taken out and sent to Lok Bandhu Hospital, where the doctor declared them dead,” said Lucknow Police in a statement.
“After dousing the fire, the SDRF and fire personnel launched a search operation lasting over 90 minutes and recovered the charred bodies of company owner and the labour,” said the CFO.
Eyewitnesses said around 10 workers were inside the building when the fire started. Most managed to escape in time. However, a chemical tank stored on the third floor exploded during the fire, causing a blast that worsened the blaze.
Following the fire, power supply to the area was temporarily cut. Traffic on the road from Hydel crossing to Amausi railway station was also stopped.
Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire, but preliminary reports suggest a short circuit or chemical mishandling could have led to the blaze.