Nine injured in lipstick factory fire

Around 25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and it took over six hours to bring the fire under control. The injured, who were mostly neighbours and a fireman, were taken to the Safdarjung Hospital and the Sanjay Gandhi hospital.

Virender Maurya and his daughter, Shikha,4, were sleeping outside when they were struck by a “ball of fire”. They sustained burns on their limbs and back but were discharged in the afternoon. According to the police, most of the others got injuries due to fall.

Although the police said that they do not suspect sabotage yet, the residents claimed that the three workers who usually sleep there at night, had disappeared. They also said that there had been trouble some time back when one of the workers had been sacked.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police, P.S. Kushwah, the exact cause of fire had not been ascertained yet and they were waiting for the report from the Fire Department. It is reported that the presence of highly inflammable substance like nitro-cellulose could have been a major factor. The owner of the factory has not been traced yet.