One dies in blaze at jeans factory
CENTRAL DELHI There is no firefighting equipment or evacuation plan in the building, says fire dept
NEW DELHI: A 38-year-old factory worker was killed in a fire that broke out in a jeans factory in central Delhi’s Tank Road in the early hours of Saturday, said police.
The victim was identified as Jumman, a native of Bihar, who was working as a tailor in the factory. Investigators said he suffocated to death.
According to Delhi Fire Services, they received a call around 4.50pm about a fire in a factory on Tank Road and a team was sent. The building has two floors and is spread across 50 square yards. The fire broke out on the first floor and the cause of the fire is unknown, said a police officer, who was not authorised to speak to media. “We sent two fire tenders to the spot and they doused the flame in ten minutes. One factory worker was found uncon- scious on the staircase between the first and the second floor. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said Atul Garg, additional director, Delhi Fire Services.
Garg added that there was no firefighting equipment or evacuation plan in the factory. “There were no multiple exits or adequate number of fire extinguishers inside,” he said.
The factory is run by Okhla resident Shah Alam. “A case of causing death by negligence has been registered against Alam,” said deputy commissioner of police (central) MS Randhawa.
Police said Jumman was provided an accommodation within factory premises and there was another worker in the factory when the fire broke out. “The other worker managed to escape. Jumman may have tried to rush to second floor in a bid to escape smoke but still inhaled enough to get asphyxiated,” said the officer.