Four workers charred to death, six injured in fire at factory in Bareilly

Fifty workers were present inside the factory when the fire broke out. The factory has been almost gutted in the blaze, officials said.

Bareilly: Four workers were burnt to death while six others sustained severe burn injuries in a fire at a factory in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly late last night. Officials said they are yet to determine what caused the fire.

The incident occurred in Ashoka Foam Factory located beside the Lucknow Highway in Bareilly. Local people said that suddenly a loud explosion was heard in the factory and they saw the building getting engulfed in fire. Around 50 workers were present inside the factory at that time.

Locals informed the fire brigade and five fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire was finally brought under control after sometime. However, by then, a lot of items were already damaged inside the factory where foam mattresses were made. The fire had spread very fast and the factory's roof was almost melted due to the heat, officials said.

During the rescue operation, firefighters found four charred bodies and managed to rescue six workers who were severely burnt. The injured were rushed to the hospital. SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary and other officials reached the spot for inspection. Police said inquiry was on but they were yet to ascertain the cause of fire.

Several incidents of fire have been recorded in the state recently. Five days back a minor fire broke out at Alamgiri Ganj area in Sarafa market and two fire tenders were pressed to action. Prior to which, another fire broke out in an ethanol tank of a sugar mill's distillery unit in Pilibhit that was brought under control after 10 hours. Last month, 40 shops were completely damaged in a fire in the Kidwai Nagar area.