Noida: Days after a major fire tore through a smart meter manufacturing unit in Sector 4 of Noida Phase 1, the partially burnt body of a missing worker was recovered from the building’s basement on Monday.The victim, identified as Upendra, worked as a storekeeper at Capital Power Systems Limited and had been reported as missing since the blaze broke out around 5.30am on March 12. Police said the body was found during a search after teams pumped out water that had accumulated in the basement following firefighting operations.A resident of Harola village in Sector 5, Upendra had been employed at the factory for several years and was responsible for managing the basement storage area. His father, Sarvan Kumar, said he left home for his night shift on Wednesday but never returned. “When we reached the factory the next morning, we came to know about the fire and began searching for him,” Kumar said.Officials said the body was found buried under debris and burnt material in the basement storage area. Family members were called to the site to identify the remains. Police conducted an autopsy before handing over the body to the family.The discovery triggered emotional scenes outside the factory, where relatives demanded compensation. Family members said Upendra was the sole breadwinner of the household.Police officials said no formal complaint had been submitted by the family so far. Preliminary investigations suggested the fire started in the factory’s basement, where electrical equipment and packaging materials were stored. Authorities suspect a short circuit may have triggered the blaze, which quickly spread through highly flammable materials including cardboard boxes, plastic granules and wiring components.The factory is built across two adjoining plots, each measuring about 400 square yards, and includes two basement levels. Police said Upendra may have been in the basement during the early hours of the morning when the fire broke out. Investigators suspect he may have been resting during his night shift and was unable to escape as the flames rapidly spread.The basement suffered the most extensive damage. According to officials, the storage area contained smart electricity meters, packaging material, batteries and plastic wiring equipment, most of which was destroyed. Losses from the fire are estimated to run into several crores of rupees.At the time of the incident, around 350 employees were present inside the factory. Many workers were trapped on upper floors as smoke and flames spread through the building. In desperation, several employees jumped from the first to fourth floors to escape, resulting in dozens of injuries.A total of 38 workers were injured, most suffering fractures to their legs and feet. Officials said 36 of them have since been discharged from hospitals, while two remain admitted at a medical facility in Delhi.Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly two days before bringing it under control late on Friday night. However, flames briefly reignited in the basement on Saturday morning before being quickly extinguished. Around 150 firefighters from multiple districts were deployed, using 37 fire tenders brought in from Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr and Aligarh. Officials said about 20 lakh litres of water were used to extinguish the fire during the large-scale operation.Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact cause of the blaze and whether safety lapses contributed to the incident.
