Fire destroys Haldiram's factory in Noida

NOIDA : A factory of sweets and snacks belonging to manufacturer Haldiram's in Sector 68 was destroyed after a fire broke out on Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported as all the workers and staff members were quickly evacuated from the premises.

According to the factory staff, 200-300 people work in the factory that supplies food items to NCR. Nearly 100 workers were at work when the fire broke out. The workers said that in the evening they heard a loud bang and found flames originating from the factory. Following this, they alerted their co-workers and ran out of the factory exits which were in the opposite direction. A worker said it seemed the fire started after a boiler burst in the production unit.

However, the fire was massive and the flames soon started spreading.

Though the security staff initially used fire extinguishers available at the factory to control the flames, but it proved to be a futile excercise. It was also drizzling at this time but the flames continued to rise.

Fire tenders reached the spot a bit late due to massive jams on the way. The police officers also sought help from Ghaziabad and eight fire tenders were sent from there. The Noida police engaged its 12 fire tenders.

Arun Kumar Singh, chief fire officer, Noida said that fire fighters and police team started immediately to reach spot after receiving information.
"It is not clear whether the fire originated from boiler burst or due to short circuit. Twenty fire tenders and several fire fighters were engaged to douse the flames. The fire was massive and we are still trying to control the flames till late night," he said.

The two-storeyed building was completely gutted under fire. The officials said they are yet to figure out the estimated loss.
A massive traffic jam was caused in the area as traffic movement was restricted till the evening.