Pimpri Chinchwad, [Current Date] – In a devastating incident, a fire broke out at a sparkling candle manufacturing unit in Jyotiba Nagar, Talwade, resulting in the loss of six lives and injuries to ten others on Friday afternoon. The Pimpri Chinchwad police have swiftly taken action, booking four individuals allegedly connected to the incident.
The first information report (FIR) was filed by Balasaheb Vaidya, a 38-year-old fire officer from the Talawade Fire Station under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), at Dehu Road police station on Friday night.
The accused have been identified as Sharad Sutar, 40, the proprietor of the sparkling candle manufacturing unit named ‘Shivraj Enterprises’; Nazir Amir Shikalgar, a resident of Chinchwad who owns the land where the allegedly illegal unit was situated; and two women. Notably, Sutar himself was among the ten individuals injured in the tragic incident.
Law enforcement officials have invoked sections 304 (2), 285, 286 (related to negligent conduct with respect to fire, combustible matter, or explosive substance), 337, 338 (pertaining to causing hurt or grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Explosives Act, against all four accused.
The fire erupted around 2.45 pm when approximately 20 workers were present in the manufacturing unit. Fire officials, alerted by an explosion at 2.49 pm, promptly dispatched fire brigade teams to the scene. Despite the inferno’s rapid spread due to the presence of inflammable materials on the premises, the fire brigade managed to control and extinguish the flames within minutes.
Tragically, the intensity of the fire resulted in the loss of six lives, and ten individuals sustained injuries. Ambulances rushed to the scene, transporting the injured to the hospital. The charred bodies of the deceased were taken to the hospital, where attempts are underway to confirm their identities. Some bodies were so severely burnt that even relatives who hurried to YCMH Hospital were unable to identify them.
This heartbreaking incident raises concerns about safety measures in industrial units and underscores the importance of stringent regulations to prevent such tragedies in the future. The Pimpri Chinchwad police are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire and whether any lapses in safety protocols contributed to the devastating outcome.
