UP: Fire breaks out in firecracker factory in Saharanpur, 1 dead

Saharanpur (UP), Aug 26 (PTI) A fire broke out in a firecracker factory here, killing a man who worked there, police said on Saturday.

Fire tenders were rushed to the site late Friday night to douse the flames, they said. The deceased has been identified as factory worker Prem Prakash (40) but police is yet to ascertain the cause of the fire, they added.

Meanwhile the owner of the factory, who allegedly did not have a license to operate a firecracker factory, is absconding since the incident, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sagar Jain told PTI that fire broke out abruptly in the godown of Jai Bhavani firecracker factory at Chhajjupur village of Kailashpur under Gagalheri police station at 11 pm on Friday.

Jain said police and fire department personnel rushed to the spot after villagers informed the Gagalhedi police station about the fire. They extinguished the fire with the help of villagers, he said, adding that police was probing the cause of the fire.

About 10 labourers were working in the factory, who ran outside as soon as the fire started but one labourer Prem Prakash (40) could not escape and was killed in the fire, Jain said. Police have sent the body for post-mortem, he said.

The SP also said that Anil Lamba, the owner of the factory, has been absconding since the fire. He said that as per information received by the police, the factory owner does not have a license to operate the firecracker factory. A search has been initiated for the factory owner and every aspect of the case is being investigated by the police, Jain added.