14 labourers rescued from Aji GIDC factory blaze

Rajkot: In a major rescue operation on Monday, the firefighters of the Rajkot fire brigade saved lives of 14 labourers including two women who were trapped on the 4th floor of a factory after fire broke out on the second floor of the unit.
The incident was reported at 4 am from Hardwell Industries, a factory in Aji GIDC.
“The fire had broken out on the second floor of the factory whose main gate was locked from outside. As we had no access to the entry into the factory, our men climbed to the terrace of the adjoining building. We poked a hole into the wall of the factory and started spraying water,” said B J Theba, chief fire officer of the Rajkot fire brigade.
“As the labourers trapped inside were crying for help, we sent four firefighters there who took them to the terrace of the factory. And once we brought the fire under control we led the labourers downstairs through the main staircase,” narrated Theba.
Two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire. However, the raw material and machineries inside the factory were all gutted. The fire brigade officials suspect a short circuit to have been the cause of the fire.