Fire breaks out at shoe factory in Delhi’s Udyog Nagar, four persons feared missing

A major fire broke out at a shoe factory cum godown in Outer Delhi’s Udyog Nagar on Monday morning. While no injuries have been reported so far, four persons are reported missing.

Thirty-three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and attempts are being made to douse the fire.

Delhi Fire Chief, Atul Garg said, “We received a call around 8.22 am and rushed with 33 fire tenders. The fire spread on the upper floors of the shoe factory. No casualties have been reported from the spot. Firefighting operation is going on.”

“Initially, ten persons were trapped inside the building. We rescued four people, and after some time, rescued two persons. Still, rescue operation is going for the remaining four. Fire under control in most of the building areas,” DCP (Outer district) Parvinder Singh said.

According to the fire department, initially, they sent 24 fire tenders after receiving the call, but they were later informed that the blaze was in serious category, so nine more fire tenders were pressed into service.

“The building had only one staircase and not enough facilities for ventilation. Lack of proper fire safety arrangements in the building also posed challenges to bring the situation under control. The exact cause of the blaze is not yet known but initially electrical short-circuit is suspected to be one of the reasons behind the incident, officials said.

DCP (outer district) Parvinder Singh said, “A PCR call regarding a fire at J-5, Udhyog Nagar, Delhi was received. It is a godown of shoes and company name is Apeksha International, the owner is Pankaj Garg. Two CATS ambulances are also at the scene and efforts are underway to bring the fire under control. Five to six persons are suspected to be in above premises.”