Residents behind factory spent sleepless nights sans power

Ludhiana: The fire that had engulfed a chemical trading unit in Phase 5 of Focal Point came under control at around 3am on Wednesday, but residents living near that factory had sleepless nights when there was no electricity in the area. They also panicked as it was giving them shivers to even think what would happen if the fire reached their households. The fire brigade had shut down power in the area, because there were high tension wires above the unit, and since blasts were taking place, there were chances the wires could have sparked.
Fire officials said they had asked the power department to shut off main supply in the area, due to which there was complete darkness in Focal Point, and the residential areas behind it were also cordoned off, forcing residents to sit outside their houses.
Dhandari resident Rakesh Kumar said: “There were flames all around and black smoke coming out of the unit was creating panic among us. We were asked to vacate our houses, because fire could spread anywhere, but even when the fire came under control, we could not gather the strength to enter our houses.”
Another area resident, Parveen Lal, said all families living in areas behind the factory were outside their houses and kept counting the fire tenders moving here and there to control the situation, thinking that the fire would never come under control. However, station fire officer SN Sharma said: “We came back at 3am, but at 5am again, one fire tender was sent back, as the flames were visible again, but it came under control.”