A Delhi shoe factory fire killed four people and injured two others in the Mangolpuri Industrial Area on Friday night, after flames and heavy smoke spread from the basement through the building. The factory owner has been summoned, while police are questioning the contractor and workers to establish how many labourers were present.
The fire was reported at about 9.30pm at a footwear manufacturing unit in Phase 1 of the industrial area. The Delhi Fire Service and police reached the premises and began rescue operations. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after several hours and confined the fire to the basement, where footwear was manufactured and stored.
Six people were found unconscious inside the factory and rescued. They were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri, where four were declared dead on arrival. The remaining two people are undergoing treatment.
Assistant Divisional Officer Paras Kumar said the fire originated in the basement and that smoke moved upwards through the building. Because of the heavy smoke, one person was recovered from a third-floor staircase and five others were rescued from the fourth floor, he said. The fire was completely extinguished and cooling operations were under way after the rescue effort.
Kumar said the fire service received the emergency call at around 9.31pm or 9.32pm. Fire teams prevented the blaze from spreading beyond the basement, but the smoke affected people on the upper floors. The sequence of events has placed attention on how a fire that began in a lower-level production and storage area affected occupants elsewhere in the factory.
DCP (Outer) Vikram Singh said the factory owner had been summoned in connection with the incident. Police were also questioning the contractor and workers to determine the total number of labourers inside the premises when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. The police investigation is continuing, including efforts to determine the number of workers present and the circumstances in which the six people became unconscious. Further action will depend on the findings of the investigation and the condition of the two injured workers.
