Ludhiana: Firefighters in Punjab’s industrial hub battled two major factory blazes on Tuesday, navigating high winds, thick smoke, and hotheadeded public reactions to contain infernos at separate hosiery and manufacturing units.Morning Blaze at Rahon RoadThe first emergency call was received at 5.58am from Gyan Hosiery in the Ghosgarh area of Rahon Road. Firefighters arriving on the scene found the facility’s main gates locked, with flames and dense black smoke pouring from the windows. Because the factory is situated in open fields, responders were forced to breach side walls to gain access to the seat of the fire.The operation faced further logistical hurdles due to the building’s elongated layout. Five fire tenders took three hours to bring the blaze under control. Firemen deployed 100-foot hose pipes to reach the rear of the structure after the owner arrived to unlock the main entrance.Second Fire Hits Industrial Area CAs the first situation stabilised, a second blaze broke out at 11.25am. within a dual-purpose complex in Industrial Area C, near Delhi Road. The premises housed Gaytson International, a garment exporter, and Onkar International, a sewing machine manufacturer. Seven fire tenders from multiple stations were diverted to the scene. The fire was extinguished eventually by 3.10pm.Challenges and Public TensionSub-fire officer Aatish Rai noted that high-velocity winds and toxic smoke significantly had hampered visibility and containment efforts. “It was quite challenging to control both fire incidents, but we managed to control them in time,” Rai said. “Luckily, there were no casualties or injuries as workers evacuated safely.” Despite the successful containment, the second incident was marked by tension between locals and officials.Workers initially attempted to douse the flames themselves, delaying the call to emergency services. Bystanders engaged in heated arguments with fire crews, alleging a late response and claiming the emergency hotline was unreachable. Fire officials dismissed claims of a system failure, stating the lines were likely busy due to a high volume of simultaneous calls and asserting that teams were dispatched the moment the alert was logged.Initial FindingsPreliminary investigations suggest short circuits triggered both fires. A detailed forensic inspection is expected to be conducted once the sites are fully cooled. While property damage is estimated to be significant, authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported in either incident. MSID:: 130083507 413 |
