Knitwear factory collapses after massive fire, none hurt

Ludhiana: A part of knitwear factory collapsed following a massive fire on Seera village road on Thursday night.
The incident reminiscent of 2017 Amarson Polymers building collapse kept firemen on toes till 3pm Friday.
About 10 to 15 employees were working in the one-storey building when fire started at its rear around 10pm. The employees rushed out and tried to control it with fire extinguishers installed on the premises. As these proved insufficient, they called up the fire department. But by that time the flames had engulfed the unit and gutted the raw material and finished goods.
The firemen said after receiving a call around 10.20pm Thursday, they sent a fire tender from the nearest Sunder Nagar to Dewan Knitwear. Later, 13 more tenders were pressed into service to douse the raging blaze.
The intense heat and thick smoke made the operation difficult. Sub-fire officer Maninder Singh said, “There was much heat and smoke inside the unit. It was difficult to stand there even for a second. Due to air vacuum, the shutters got jammed. We had to break them to gain entry. About 20 firemen were deployed at the site.”
After the hours-long blaze, the building developed cracks and half of it collapsed. “Around 5am, part of the building came crashing down like a pack of cards. Luckily, nobody was injured. Firemen were told to be cautious while carrying out the operation, which stretched up to 17 hours,” Maninder added.
Assistant divisional fire officer Bhupinder Sandhu said, “Tenders were also brought from Samrala, Nawanshahr and Vardhman. They made more than 100 rounds. As there were no fire hydrants at Dewan Knitwear, the tenders were dependent on a nearby factory for water. We will check if the unit had taken a no-objection certificate from the fire department.”
The tenders returned around 3.30pm, but one stayed at the unit as a precautionary measure. “We left a fire tender behind so that it could control the fire in case it started again,” Bhupinder added.
Reminiscent of Suffian Chowk incident
The firemen were scared of entering the unit after part of it came down. They stopped the operation for some time and later sent a few firemen inside to take stock of the situation. Even as the exact cause of fire was not clear, firemen said a short circuit might have triggered it. “The rest of the portion of the factory can collapse any time. The incident is quite similar to the fire and subsequent collapse of Amarson Polymers in Suffian Chowk on November 20, 2017,” said a fireman.
Blazing numbers
As per the fire department data, 95 fire incidents were reported in April and May. The first seven days of June saw 22 such incidents.
Firemen not in safety gear
Two years after nine firemen died in Suffian Chowk incident, authorities are yet to buy fire suits. As none of the firemen were in safety gear, they were scared to enter the knitwear unit. Even pipes used for dousing the flames were short, adding to their woes.
Potholed road delays tenders
The firemen said they took more time than usual to reach the unit due to the poor condition of the stretch from octroi post on Rahon Road. “Fire tenders took long to reach the unit as it was located far off and the road to it was riddled with potholes. We were in a hurry to reach the spot, but had to drive carefully due to the craters,” said sub-fire officer Atish Rai. The area residents said the road was dug up for laying sewerage lines, but was not repaired after the work got over.
Close shave for three
“About five minutes after three firemen come out of the building, a portion of it came crashing down. They had a narrow escape. Labour quarters are constructed on the first floor,” said sub-fire officer Atish Rai.
Flames engulf house in Lakkar Bazaar
Another fire was reported from Lakkar Bazaar on Friday, when an old house went up in flames. As the crumbling house was locked, firemen doused the blaze from outside. The situation was soon brought under control.