In a horrific incident, six employees of an electronic goods factory were burnt to death in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in Noida Sector 11 in F- Block on Wednesday around 2.30 pm. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, a police officer said.
Unable to bear the heat, one of the employees jumped from the fifth floor sustaining severe spinal injuries. Another employee, who survived the blaze, said fire tenders reached the spot at least 90 minutes after the call was made to police. Fire department officials, however, rubbished the claims and said they rushed to the spot as soon as they were informed.
The fire station is located just 2 kilometre away from the site of the incident. “Twelve fire tenders, one 32 meters and another 42 meters hydraulic lift machines reached the spot within 30 minutes of being informed. It took us time to reach the spot because of traffic and encroachment on the road. Our Ghaziabad staff too reached the spot and lent us a helping hand,” said Aman Sharma, a fire department official.
Initial estimates suggest that goods worth at least Rs 15 crore was gutted in the fire.
Sources said that the blaze brings to the fore major lapses with regards to jurisdiction. Employees trapped inside the building said they kept calling 100 to inform Noida police about the incident but their call was diverted to neighbouring Delhi and Ghaziabad.
Sheeshpal, a factory employee, said, “When we dialed 100, the call connected to Delhi police control room. later, when we again tried to contact the police, the call connected to Ghaziabad police control room. After several attempts, we finally connected to Noida police control room.” Sheeshpal said 12 employees worked in factory.