Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major fire broke out at a furniture manufacturing unit in Govindpura Industrial Area at 12.30 am on Saturday, triggering a massive firefighting operation involving more than 50 firefighters and over 70 water tankers.
The operation continued till Saturday morning. The blaze intensified after information about the fire reached the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) fire department with a delay.
Large quantities of wood, chemicals and thinner stored inside the factory further fuelled the flames, and it took nearly nine hours to bring the fire under control.
According to officials, the fire broke out at Shubham Enterprises in Sector 7-D of Govindpura Industrial Area. The flames spread rapidly and soon engulfed the entire premises, creating panic among workers and owners of nearby industrial units.
Senior officials, including BMC Fire Officer Saurabh Patel, firefighter Pankaj Yadav and Assistant In-charge Vijay Tripathi supervised the firefighting operation throughout the night.
BMC officials said the Fire Control Room received information about the incident at 2.30 am, nearly two hours after the fire started. By then, the blaze had spread across most of the factory complex.
Structural demolition prevents spread
The factory manufactures plywood products, doors and blackboards and reportedly housed several tonnes of timber, chemicals and thinner, which accelerated the fire.
To prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring industrial units, firefighting teams partially demolished portions of the structure and continuously sprayed water on connecting sections of nearby buildings. Their efforts helped to avert a larger industrial disaster.
Fire crews mobilised from across the city
Fire tenders and water tankers were deployed from Gandhinagar, Govindpura, Kolar, Bairagarh, Fatehgarh, ISBT and Kabadkhana fire stations.
Even after the blaze was brought under control, firefighting vehicles remained stationed at the site as a precautionary measure. Smoke continued to billow from the premises till 9 am on Saturday.
Investigation underway
BMC Fire Officer Saurabh Patel said fire caused losses worth several crore of rupees. The exact cause of the blaze remains unknown and police have launched an investigation.
