2 workers critically injured as fire engulfs 2 Bahadurgarh factories

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar): Two workers suffered critical burn injuries after a major fire broke out at a manufacturing unit in Bahadurgarh's industrial area on Sunday morning and spread to an adjoining factory, triggering a massive firefighting operation involving more than 22 fire tenders.The blaze erupted around 7.30am at Shanti Enterprises in Sector 17 of the HSIIDC industrial estate. The unit manufactures footwear components, rubber sheets and mattresses. Officials said highly combustible raw material and packaging material fuelled the fire, which quickly spread through the premises.The flames later engulfed the neighbouring unit, RKC Lamina Tex Ltd, which manufactures fabric and rexine products, further complicating firefighting efforts.Two workers — Monu (30), a native of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Deepak (25) from Kanpur — sustained severe burn injuries while trying to escape. They were initially taken to Civil Hospital, Bahadurgarh, and later referred to PGIMS Rohtak.Authorities pressed fire tenders from Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sampla and Delhi into service as local resources proved inadequate. Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before bringing it largely under control by late evening. Cooling operations continued thereafter.ACP Pradeep Khatri said preliminary investigations suggested the fire originated in the ground-floor tin-shed section of Shanti Enterprises. The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, though officials said losses are likely to run into several lakhs of rupees.Shanti Enterprises is owned by Himanshu, a Delhi resident, while the adjoining unit is owned by Ravinder Gupta of Delhi's Mianwali Nagar, police said.Sector 6 police station SHO Satyaveer Singh said no FIR had been registered so far and further action would depend on medical reports and statements of the injured workers and their families.Jhajjar deputy commissioner Varsha Khangwal said a meeting with industrial associations and factory owners would be held to review fire-safety preparedness and emergency response systems.