AHMEDABAD: At least three people were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a printing and dyeing mill in the Palsana area of Gujarat’s Surat district on Thursday.
A dozen fire tenders soon reached the spot to bring the blaze under control. Nearly 100 firemen from nearby areas in the district are involved in the firefighting operation.
Attempts were made to contain the blaze for about four to five hours. As the fire consumed the flammable materials stored inside, three storeys of the Soumya Dyeing and Printing Mill building were gutted in the fire. The charred bodies of three workers were found after an 11-hour struggle, while around 10 others have been rescued.
"Locals claimed that a short circuit followed by blasts of gas cylinders caused the fire. The fire spread quickly because of the highly flammable chemicals, dyes, and yarns. A large quantity of the ready-made garments and raw material was also gutted in the fire," Bardoli's chief fire officer P B Gadhvi said.
According to eyewitness reports, the blaze could be seen around four kilometers away from the mill. The fire was so fierce that even the surrounding mills were shut down. There were fears that the surrounding units would also be damaged by the blaze.