HP factory fire: Death toll rises to 5, efforts to control blaze underway

SHIMLA: The death toll in the fire at a perfume manufacturing unit in the Baddi industrial area of Himachal Pradesh’s Solan increased to five as firefighters were working to bring the blaze under control nearly 24 hours after it started, officials said on Saturday.

The massive fire broke out around 2:45 pm on Friday. A search is also underway to trace nine persons who are still missing, a senior officer said, adding that 31 people suffered injuries in the fire. A woman referred to the PGIMER Chandigarh was declared brought dead on Friday. Thereafter four more bodies were recovered from the site, Deputy Commissioner of Solan Manmohan Sharma said.

The fire is yet to be brought under control as inflammable substances used for manufacturing perfumes and other cosmetics are catching fire, he said.

After an FIR under sections 285 (negligence), 336 (endangering life), 337 (causing hurt and (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC was registered, factory head of N R Aromas company, Chander Shekhar, has been arrested, the police said in a statement issued here.

Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu, who reached the spot and took stock of the situation, constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Verma to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. The National Disaster Response Force is currently assessing the structural safety of the site and working to clear it of hazardous gases such as Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulphide and Sulphur Dioxide, police added.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu could not undertake a proposed visit to the site of the fire as his chopper could not take off due to inclement weather.