Rajkot: One person was killed and two others were injured after a fire triggered an explosion in a firecracker unit at Timbli village in Barvala taluka of Botad district on Saturday morning.Police said the explosions occurred between 10am and 10.30am on the outskirts of the village. The deceased, Hardik Solanki (17) of Rampara village, was working as a labourer at the unit. Another youth, Jaydeep Sathala of Bela village, suffered injuries along with the factory owner, Bhupat Vyas of Ahmedabad. Both were taken to Botad General Hospital, after which Vyas was referred to Bhavnagar for further treatment. Sources said the fire started suddenly in materials stored for manufacturing firecrackers. The blaze triggered a blast in the stored explosive substances. The impact blew off the roof tiles, and Solanki was thrown from the site. Speaking to TOI, Botad superintendent of police Dharmendra Sharma said, “It was a very small unit and had a licence to operate. We will register an offence after completing the investigation. It is not yet clear whether the minors were working there or came to visit.”
