Fire at chemical factory in Dera Bassi,2 injured

The injured were taken to a private hospital in Dera Bassi where doctors stated their condition to be stable.

According to Fire officer B S Sandhu,the fire was caused due to a short circuit in an electric motor near the reactor.

Fire tenders from Chandigarh,Mohali,Panchkula,Derabassi and Dappar were pressed into action and it took the firemen nearly three hours to douse the flames.

Director of the company Avtar Singh told Newsline that the Agro Division of the plant,one of the four units of the company,was engulfed in the fire in which chemicals and machinery worth between Rs 8-10 crore were ruined,said Avtar Singh.

As the night shift was on,there were around 20 workers present in the premises when the fire broke out.

The Station House Officer along with the Naib-Tehsildar Paramjeet Singh reached the spot and initiated investigations.

Blaze at liquor vend in Darua
A fire broke out at a liquor vend in Darua village on Saturday. Four fire tenders were pressed into service who took more than an hour to control the flames. Officials of the Fire department claimed the fire could have been set off deliberately to destroy documents. The vend was over stocked and officials found papers spread on the floor after gaining entry into the vend. “Why were the documents spread on the floor? There is something suspicious. It is a clear attempt to destroy documents. We will prepare a report and submit it to senior officers,” a fire official said.

Workers at the vend,however,claimed the fire broke out due to short circuit. “I saw a spark in the electricity wires and papers on the floor catching fire. Within minutes,the fire spread to the liquor cartons,” a worker,requesting anonymity,said.