New Delhi: Thirty-five fire tenders, more than 100 firefighters and over 10 hours of firefighting later, officials here on Monday night continued searching for four workers feared trapped inside a shoe-making factory in Outer Delhi's Peeragarhi area, that caught fire earlier in the day.
Fire department officials told Millennium Post that the building did not have fire clearance, had been declared dangerous by civic authorities, and had likely caught fire earlier as well.
The fire department got information about the fire at the factory around 8.22 am on Monday and in a few minutes fire tenders reached the spot.
A fire department official said that they were not initially informed about the people who were trapped inside and only after two hours did they come to know about the possibility that labourers might be trapped inside the flaming building.
"The caller informed us that there was a fire in the factory but we were not informed about people who might be trapped inside the factory.
"Around 10.30 am family members of labourers informed us about them likely being trapped as they were not responding to calls and then the factory owner informed us that six people were missing," one fire official said.
DFS officials said the information related to labourers inside the premises was very crucial and it should have been informed earlier so that they could have changed the strategy. The firefighters, having doused the flame, continued to search for possible trapped workers.
Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed to Millennium Post that the building did not have a no-objection certificate from the DFS. "The fire was of a major category and the blaze is completely under control now, cooling operation is going on and the search operation continues. The building has been declared dangerous by the MCD," he said.
The Delhi Police said a total of 10 people were reported to be trapped inside initially, of which four were rescued in the initial stages, two rescued some time later and four were reportedly still missing. However, the DFS said that they have not rescued anyone from the fire and "there is a possibility that they might have escaped earlier from the factory".
Another official said that there were major violations of safety guidelines inside the factory.
"The factory was fully packed with combustible materials which are used for making shoes. There was no escape route, no fire safety equipment and the shutter was also down. There might be a possibility that in the past, there were fires reported from this building," the official added.
But the Delhi Police maintained that no such incident had come on record.
The design of the factory was also imperfect and conducive to the fire spreading rapidly. Due to the heat and smoke and the narrow lanes in which the building is located, it took longer for the firefighters to enter the factory.
"Very congested, in the evening we thought two bodies were lying inside one of the rooms but when we went closer we found that it was something else," one official said.
As per the Delhi Police, the godown was owned by one Pankaj Garg. "We have registered a case in this regard. No reasons were ascertained for the cause of fire so far," an official said. Two ambulances are also at the spot.
Initial investigation has revealed that fire might have been caused due to a short circuit or someone leaving behind an unattended burning matchstick or cigarette.
"There are several angles which are being probed. After the probe is completed, we will be able to tell the exact reason behind the fire," the fire official said, adding that there was no further headway and that the search was continuing.