At least 35 night-shift workers were injured, with a 30-year-old man in critical condition, after they jumped from higher floors of a three-storey electric metres manufacturing unit in Noida Sector 4 after a fire erupted on Thursday and was still burning hours later.
The fire is suspected to have started around 5 am in the basement, where plastic material and electric metres were being stored, according to officials and workers. At least 250 people were in the building at the time.
“As locals alerted emergency services, firefighters and a police team rushed to the spot,” said Rajiv Narayan Mishra, additional commissioner of police, Gautam Budh Nagar (law and order).
While an investigation into the cause of the fire is still on, Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, the chief fire officer (Gautam Budh Nagar), said, “Prima facie it is suspected that the fire broke out due to short-circuit.”
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At least 36 fire tenders were involved in the firefight and was still being doused as this newspaper was going to print. “Firefighters were busy extinguishing the fire until 7 pm,” he said.
Harpal Singh, manager at the Capital Power Systems, said received information about the fire around 7am as he was returning from out of town. “It has yet to be ascertained how the fire started,” he said, adding, “A fire safety system was installed, but they did not get a chance to use it.”
Most of the victims were injured from jumping off the higher floors as thick smoke made it difficult to use the exits.
A police officer who was part of the rescue operation said, “People who were working on the first floor managed to escape. However, some of those working on the upper two floors were trapped, and due to the lack of a clear exit they were forced to jump or escape in whatever way they could find.”
A doctor at the hospital, requesting anonymity, told HT, “Sambhu Kumar, 30, a resident of Harola, with a severe head injury was referred to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital. Most of the people undergoing treatment at the Sector 39 hospital suffered leg fractures. However, a few of the injured were later discharged.”
Officials said they were checking if the firefighting system installed in the factory was in working condition or whether a technician had been hired to operate it. “No case has been registered yet, and further investigation is underway,” said CP Mishra.
As firefighters worked to douse the fire all day on Thursday, thick black smoke was pouring out with the smell of melting plastic permeating the air, making it difficult for firefighters to enter the building.
Among the injured, Tarun Kumar, who fractured his right leg after jumping from the third floor told HT that they first saw the thick smoke coming up the staircase, and then heard the fire in the basement.
“Due to the thick smoke and blocked exits, panic broke out and we broke the glass windows to jump out,” Kumar said. “In fear, I also jumped from the third floor and injured my leg.”
Dilip Singh, a resident of Sector 5, who was also on the third floor, said, “Except for jumping from the third floor, we had no other option. I jumped from the third floor to the first-floor balcony and, after injuring my both legs, I again jumped to the ground.”
Raj Singh, a resident of Sector 11, was on the second floor, and Neeraj Pandey, a Sector 5 resident, was on the third floor when the fire broke out. They too jumped out of the building to save themselves. After they landed on the ground, locals helped them shift to safety, and emergency services reached the spot within 15 to 20 minutes.
Pandey’s brother, Munna said he learnt about the incident around 5:15 am. “I immediately rushed to the spot and found my brother lying in a corner with a severe leg injury. We rushed him to a hospital in Sector 39 by ambulance.”
Rahul Kumar, a local who lives opposite the factory, said, “I saw people jumping from the third and second floors. We realised it after seeing thick smoke.”
The factory is involved in supplying electric metres to government. The manager, Harpal Singh, said, “the cost of damage would be ascertained after assessment.”
Medha Roopam, district magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar also visited Sector 39 District Hospital to check on the condition of those injured in the fire “The DM directed doctors to ensure proper treatment, regular updates to the administration, and timely communication with families,” said the administration in a statement.