fire

NEW DELHI: Two labourers were charred to death in a fire at garment manufacturing unit operating in a three-storeyed building located in narrow lanes of Gandhi Nagar on Sunday late night.

Police told that incident occurred on Sunday at 11.52 p.m. at the building located in Shashi Garden of Gandhi Nagar. “Ten fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was doused at 12.45 a.m. The cooling operation continued till 3 am. Two bodies of workers were recovered from the flat and moved out from the building. A firefighter suffered a shoulder injury during the rescue operation,” the officer said.

“It appears the fire broke out due to a short circuit on the ground floor and spread to the first and second floors.The residents were sleeping on the third floor at the time of the incident. Some family members were rescued with the help of the locals and firefighters,” he said. The owner of the building lived on the third floor.

The deceased were identified as Fezan (22) and Shahmat (30). Both were the native of Sahajanpur district in UP. They use to stitch t-shirts and track pants in the garment unit. “Their bodies completely burned and their separate identity could not be established. Their parents have been called for the DNA sample before handling bodies to individual family members,” said a senior police official.

The landlord Kishore Aggarwal stays with other five family members on the third floor was rescued by locals and fire officers. They were safely rescued from the adjacent building.

“The exact cause of fire is still unknown. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team also visited the building and collected the samples. A under IPC section 304A has been registered at Gandhi Nagar police station,” said a senior police official.

The family members of the deceased told that the flat was rented a month ago. The unit owner was manufacturing t-shirt and track pants. “My brother got the new job to earn more. He was wkokrign over time to get more money and provide better education to his two sons of age eight and five years respectively. He was getting Rs 12 per t-shirt durirng over time hours.

ENDS