20240808 Worker killed, three injured in massive fire at factory
India Aug 08 2024 “Factories”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
Worker killed, three injured in massive fire at factory
Updated: 2024-08-08
Belagavi: One employee was killed and three others were severely injured in a major fire mishap that occurred at Sneham Taping Solutions Pvt Ltd, an adhesive insulation tape manufacturing factory located in the Navage Industrial Area spread around five acres, on the outskirts of the city.
The fire broke out in the factory following a short circuit in the elevator area late on Tuesday night. The fire and emergency service department and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel controlled the fire on Wednesday, after a 17-hour-long operation. Initially, they tried to control the fire from outside using eight fire vehicles. When it did not come under control even after a long operation, they broke the tall walls using earth movers and entered the factory.
According to sources, more than 130 employees were working inside the factory when the mishap occurred. After the fire broke out in the elevator area, all employees rushed out of the factory. Yallappa Gundyagol, 20, of Markandeya Nagar, who had been stuck in the elevator, couldn’t come out of the factory and died on the spot due to suffocation and heat. Rescue teams used metal cutters to cut the elevator to bring Yallappa’s body out.
Meanwhile, three other employees – Maruti Karavekar, 32, of Kavalewadi, Yallappa Salagude, 35, of Old Belagavi, and Ranjit Patil, 39, of Razawadi – who had been injured by severe burns, were rescued by other employees. Initially, they were admitted to the BIMS district govt hospital, and later shifted to KLE Hospital.
The began at the end of the second shift. The fire was so massive that the smoke spread around a 10km area, with a burning smell. Due to the raw materials for tape manufacture inside the factory, taking control of the fire was prolonged. Another reason was the lack of big-sized gates in the three-storey factory building.
Deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan, city police commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang, DCP Rohan Jagadish, DHO Dr Mahesh Koni, and officials from different departments concerned had camped at the spot since Tuesday night. According to the DHO, one of the employees’ legs has been fractured because of jumping from a height.
Hita Hebbalkar, daughter-in-law of local MLA and women and child welfare minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, visited the spot and met the family members of the victim. Later, she visited KLE Hospital and interacted with the injured employees. Hebbalkar, who was out of station, announced financial help to the victims’ families on behalf of Laxmitai Foundation. The company has also announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased and a job for one of the family members.
A case has been registered in Belagavi Rural police station.
Web Source The Times of India