Massive fire in wood factory, loss of life averted but huge loss

Another fire incident has come to light in Bhankrota, Jaipur. Late night on Monday (23 December), a massive fire suddenly broke out in a wood factory located in Bhankrota. The workers and the owner were sleeping in the factory at the time of the accident. Thankfully no one died, but the factory suffered huge damage.

What happened in Bhankrota factory?

• Event time: Around 1:30 in the night.
• People present: The owner and workers were sleeping in the factory.
• Reason: In the initial investigation, the cause of the fire is being said to be short-circuit.

People woke up due to suffocation due to smoke and immediately ran outside. Many fire brigade vehicles reached the spot from Bindayaka and Mansarovar. The fire was brought under control after about two hours of effort.

Fire damage and status of injured

• Scorched factory owner: The owner sustained burn injuries while trying to extinguish the fire and was admitted to hospital.
• Factory work: Wood and furniture work was done here. The fire spread rapidly due to the presence of wood all around the factory.
• Investigation continues: The team of ACP Hemendra Sharma and CI Manish Gupta reached the spot and are investigating.

Last week’s terrible tanker accident

Another major incident took place in Bhankrota a week ago (20 December), when an LPG tanker exploded on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway. So far 14 people have died in this accident, and 24 people are seriously injured.

Key points of tanker accident:

• Injured: 24 people are hospitalized, including 7 in ICU.
• Cognizance of High Court: Taking suo motu cognizance of this accident, Rajasthan High Court has issued a notice to the Central and State Governments.
• Next hearing: The next hearing of this case will be on January 10.

Accounts of witnesses of the accident

Two youths who survived the tanker explosion, Jagdish Regar (30) and Sunil Khatik (28), shared their horrifying account of the accident.

• Jagdish’s statement:
  • “We heard a loud bang and saw flames rising into the sky. “Within seconds our bus caught fire.”
  • “People were screaming, the doors were closed. There was an atmosphere of chaos and panic all around.”
• Sunil’s story:
  • “We somehow managed to get out of the bus. But that scene of screaming and flames can never be forgotten.”

Response of court and administration

Rajasthan High Court has made serious comments on this incident.

• “This unfortunate incident has taken many lives and put many people in danger.”
• Notice issued:
  • Union Ministry of Disaster Management.
  • Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
  • Chief Secretary of Rajasthan.

Need for caution and safety

Such incidents happening continuously in Bhankrota highlight the lack of security measures.

• Fire from short-circuit: Regular safety checks and maintenance of equipment are necessary in industries.
• Gas and Hazardous Materials: It is necessary to follow strict rules in transportation of LPG tanker and other hazardous materials.
• emergency Management: The need of the hour is to develop better disaster management mechanisms for such incidents.