Major fire breaks out at workers’colony, none hurt
Savings and belongings of over 500 labourers were reduced to ashes when a major fire broke out at a private firm’s temporary colony for workers in Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar here on Tuesday. Nobody was injured in the incident as most of the occupants were out for work at a nearby construction site of a private developer’s residential building.
The sudden blaze caused panic among the labourers and they tried to save their belongings but in vain. Fire fighters who took over two hours to douse the flames, performed their duties while risking their lives as several small LPG cylinders kept in labourers’ sheds caught fire and exploded.
Udai Pratap Singh, station officer (SO) of Vibhuti Khand police station said the fire broke out at the temporary colony set up by L&T construction company when almost all labourers were at work at around 11.45am. He said the labourers were alerted after hearing the sound of cylinder blast and thereafter fire engulfed the major area due to heavy winds.
Chief fire officer, AB Pandey said preliminary inquiry revealed that the labourers used different modes for cooking their food. “Some of the labourers had small LPG cylinders while some used electric heaters to cook food. The preliminary inquiry hints that there might have been leakage in LPG cylinder and it led to blast due to short circuit,” he said. He said detailed probe to ascertain the cause of fire is being done further.
The CFO said the fire would have caused more loss if the fire fighters would have not doused the flames timely.
He said over 2,500 workers stayed in different sheds installed by the construction company but the fire was doused before it could spread to other portion of the colony.