6 killed, 4 injured as Noida company goes aflame

Six persons, including a woman, were charred to death and four others were injured after a major fire broke out at an electrical assembling unit in Noida's Sector- 11 area on Wednesday afternoon.

Even six hours after the fire was doused, rescue operation in the basement could not be carried out as the temperature was around 250 degrees Celsius. The fire brigade was informed about the incident at 1.50 pm and around 60 fire tenders rushed to the spot.

The building, which is located in F-55, was taken on rent by Sanjay Das, who ran a company called Excelite. It assembled LED lights and tube lights. Eyewitnesses claimed that the fire spread within seconds and the building was engulfed in thick layer of smokes and flames. Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Akshay Sharma revealed that the company did have a clearance from the fire department and even had fire-fighting equipment, but it appears no one knew how to use them.

An employee, Pawan, in order to save his life, jumped from the third floor and sustained spinal injuries. Among the dead include HR head Jaspreet Kaur (22), Vivek Kochar, Inderpreet Singh and Prikshit Sharma. Das is feared to be dead. Hospital authorities stated that a DNA test need to be conducted to identify the rest since they are completely charred.

"I work in a nearby building and had come for lunch. The fire spread massively and Pawan jumped. He fell on a barren plot and was immediately rushed the to Metro Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment," said Shankar, an eyewitness.       

"I am deeply grieved with this incident and have assured the families that the post-mortem will be conducted at the earliest. We will take all possible steps to provide help," said BJP MLA Pankaj Singh.