Massive fire breaks out at shoe factory in Narela, one dead

New Delhi: A man died after a massive fire broke out at a shoe factory in outer north Delhi's Narela on Sunday. The Delhi Fire Services said that the factory did not have any no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department.

Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said the shoe factory where the fire broke out comprised basement, ground and two upper floors and a call about the fire was received around 12.45 am. Twenty-four fire tenders were rushed to the spot which brought the blaze under control, he said.

According to police, they have received information through PCR about the fire in a factory in DSIIDC in Narela which was a footwear unit running from the premises. All three stories were engulfed in fire.

The factory was locked from inside. As per the version of owner Praveen Kumar, there was a holiday on Saturday.

"One guard was supposed to be inside the factory. The fire officer has traced one body which is beyond recognition. The door of the gate at the roof was locked from inside. The body was found near the door. "Search is on for other casualties if any inside the burnt factory," police said.

According to sources, the fire-fighters started dousing the fire first on the ground floor and then broke windows for the smoke to come out.

The fire was brought under control within an hour and was followed by the cooling operation.

Around 4:45 pm, Mandal's body was found near the stairs on the top floor of the factory, the official said, adding the floor's gate was locked from inside.

It is being suspected that the deceased was trying to escape the fire but got stuck because of the smoke since the raw material inside the factory created a lot of smoke.

It is being also probed whether the body was of the security guard. There was excessive combustible material in the factory which helped the fire spread quickly.

"Heat had developed cracks at several places of the building. The walls of the factory had become weak. For the fire officials, it was a risky situation to go inside," said fire

official.