BHUBANESWAR: A major fire broke out at a biscuit manufacturing unit in the Patia industrial estate here on Sunday night. No casualties were reported but packaging materials, wheat flour, ghee and ready-to-eat biscuitsworth several lakh rupees were reduced to ashes.
The fire started at around 3:30 am in the factory of Lingaraj Biscuits Pvt Ltd located near Infosys Square. At least 12 fire tenders manned by over 100 firefighters were rushed to the spot.
Till 10:30 am, flames had engulfed the factory and the warehouse.
The godown stocks biscuits made of ghee, which are moderately combustible materials that burn slowly and emit a lot of smoke. A huge quantity of plastic material added to the smoke, Fire Service officer Ramesh Majhi said.
The building had a huge inventory of packaged biscuits piled high on the ground and first floors. The flames being too intense, firefighters could not enter the building. Besides, the fire tender hosing could not reach the extreme corners of the building, added Majhi.
Sources said the factory produces two tonnes of biscuits per day, and keep stocks sufficient for 15 days. Moreover, there was an inventory pileup since July 1, when the GST regime came in.
While the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, sources said, an electric short-circuit could be the culprit.