Fire engulfs portion of handicrafts factory in city

JAIPUR: A major fire was reported at a handicraft factory located in Bhankrota area of the city on Wednesday evening. Items worth lakh were gutted in the blaze.

A plume of black smoke soon enveloped the nearby buildings, setting off a panic in the locality. Fire officer Jalaj Ghasiya told TOI that as many as seven fire tenders were rushed to the factory and fire was doused.

“It was a large factory-cum-warehouse. A portion of the factory caught fire, but we managed to contain the flames quickly,” the official said, adding that if the entire factory had caught the fire, them it would have resulted in have resulted in a major fire incident.

Ghasiya added that fire tenders tactfully doused the flames. “Only a portion had caught fire, but it could have easily led to the entire factory gutted in flames,” the official said.

The fire department said that a short circuit may have sparked the fire. The officials said that the handicraft work was being carried out in the premises and it items were also exported to other countries.

The officials said that several products may have been damaged in the fire. “The losses may have been huge as several items were destroyed,” added an official.