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Two labourers were charred to death after a fire broke out at a jeans manufacturing unit in Shahdara’s Gandhi Nagar Sunday night. According to police, the bodies of the victims, Faizan (22) and Sehmat (30), were recovered from the first floor of the three-storey building in Kailash Nagar. Police said the men were from UP’s Shahjahanpur.
DCP (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad said they have registered a case under relevant sections, including 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC, against unknown persons. “We have also questioned the factory owner,” the DCP added. Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said 11 fire tenders were pressed into service and doused the flames in an hour. “A short circuit might have sparked off the blaze,” a DFS official said.
Police said the building owner, Kishore Aggarwal, lives with his wife and four children on the third floor. The other three floors were given on rent to the factory owner, Shahadat Ali. While the stitching happened on the first and second floors, the ground floor was used as a godown, police said.
Police said eight workers were employed at the factory. “The men usually didn’t stay back after work hours. But on Sunday night, Faizan and Sehmat decided to work overtime. They were ironing clothes when the fire broke out,” Prasad said. “The fire might have started from the ground floor. While the owner and his family managed to escape from the terrace, Faizan and Sehmat were trapped inside,” Prasad added.
According to residents, the blaze engulfed the whole house within a few minutes. “They heard the men shouting for help but nobody could enter the building,” a police officer said. Residents alleged fire officials reached late. DFS chief G C Mishra refuted the claims: “The factory was located in a narrow lane… and encroachments and cars parked on the road made it difficult for us to get through.”
Killer fires
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Maujpur, Mar 16: Man dead after house catches fire
Karol Bagh, Feb 10: 1 killed in fire at cloth manufacturing unit
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