Two firefighters killed while putting out massive blaze at Greater Noida factory

Recalling the mayhem, an employee of the firm said, “We were working the night shift. Around 3 am, we could see smoke coming out of the second floor of the building. Next thing we knew we were getting evacuated, leaving almost everything behind.”

Police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the site and brought the blaze under control. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

The firefighters were attempting to douse the blaze when a wall and an iron beam inside the factory suddenly collapsed.

As five firefighters got injured, they were rushed to the Yatharth Hospital where doctors declared fireman Rohit Yadav and Chief Constable Driver Tirthpal Singh dead, officers said. The rest of the personnel — Chief Constable Driver Rajpal Singh, firemen Manish Kumar and Amit Kumar — were admitted to the ICU and later were declared out of danger, according to the police.

On the collapse of the wall, a firefighter blamed the construction quality.’

“The roof was made of mild steel, material which we are seeing more often in these regions. Contractors prefer it because it’s cheap and easier to put up. But it is not fire resistant like reinforced cement concrete (RCC). Moreover it melts which can lead to such accidents,” he told The Indian Express.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and further legal action on, police said.