Delhi: The fire was under control by 1pm, fire officials said. (representative)
New Delhi:
A 42-year-old man was killed and six others injured when a fire broke out at an electrical goods factory in north-east Delhi, Mustafabad, on Thursday.
The fire was reported at 12:17 p.m., after which seven fire trucks rushed to the scene, officials said.
Police say Inderjeet Pandey, a resident of Pusta Sonia Vihar, died of burns. He was a factory worker, said a senior police officer.
The fire was brought under control by 1 p.m., the fire service said.
“The fire broke out on the first floor of a factory producing electrical appliances (inverter, stabilizer, etc.), injuring seven people who were rushed to GTB hospital.
“One person was later pronounced dead and another is in serious condition. The building is spread over an area of about 200 square meters,” said fire chief Atul Garg.
According to the fire service, the factory had no NOC from the department.
Police said the fire broke out at the factory on No. 23 street of New Mustafabad, which is under the Dayalpur Police Station.
A senior police officer said the injured have been identified as Gulfam, a resident of the old Mustafabad area, Aamir, Bulbul, Bilal, Shamim and Usnara, all residents of the new Mustafabad area.
Ashutosh Pandey (24), the son of the late Inderjeet, said his father told them several times about the poor working conditions in the factory.
“My father worked in the factory for the past 10 to 11 years. He told us that the condition of the factory was not good, but he had no choice but to work there.
“I received a call at 1:27 p.m. from Sonu, a colleague of my father’s, who informed me of the fire.
“When I asked him about my father’s condition, he asked me to check him myself. Later I went to Jag Pravesh Chand hospital where I saw about seven to eight persons with burns and my father was pronounced dead by the time that I arrived there,” said Ashutosh.
“We have taken his body to GTB hospital, where the staff said the autopsy will take place on Friday, after which his body will be handed over to us,” he said.
Inderjeet is survived by his wife Sangeeta Devi, two sons Ashutosh Pandey and Aman Pandey and daughter Sapna Pandey. He was born in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh and lived here for the past 22 years.
Ashutosh said his father was the sole breadwinner.
“My father left for work on his bike around 8:30 am. He worked as a painter in the factory and earned Rs 11,000 per month,” he said.
He said they heard a cylinder had exploded, but they weren’t sure.
It is the latest in a series of fires in Delhi. A massive fire in a commercial building in Mundka in north-western Delhi on May 13 killed at least 27 people.