New Delhi: Four workers, including two minors, were killed in a fire at a shoe-manufacturing unit in Delhi's Sultanpuri in the wee hours on Monday.
Police, during its initial investigation, have found that a short-circuit may have caused the fire, but are looking at other angles. The police have also arrested factory owner who has been accused of running the factory without a proper licence.
Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) stated that they received a call around 6.35 am from A-block, Raja Park in Sultanpuri regarding a fire incident. More than five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. "The blaze took place in a four storey building. Fire teams started their rescue work and doused the fire around 10:10 am," said Garg.
Over two-dozen workers were sleeping in the first and second floors of the three-storey building when the blaze started. All, but four escaped, an officer said.Police took the injured ones to a hospital where they were declared dead.
The deceased have been identified as Razi Mohammad (20), Shan Mohammad(17), Ayub (17) and Mehboob (18). They all belonged to Asmada village in Uttar Pradesh Hardoi district. Ayub and Mehboob were siblings, a police official said.
The unit was run by a person named Brijesh Gupta, who lived in the same locality. The building was used for manufacturing shoes and housed around 25-30 workers, he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) MN Tiwari stated that they had registered a case under sections 285 (Negligent conduct concerning a fire or combustible matter) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) of IPC at Sultanpuri police station.
Meanwhile, another fire was reported around 12.55 pm Monday at Kucha Mahajani in Chandni Chowk, where a 22-year-old man was killed, the police said. Monday's deaths take the toll in fire incidents in Delhi over the past 72 hours to seven.
Two persons had died in a fire at a footwear-manufacturing unit in Narela on Saturday, while a 62-year-old shopkeeper died in a pre-dawn blaze at his shop in Sarita Vihar area on Sunday. See P4