Fire kills one, three injured

New Delhi, June 5 — A person died and three others were seriously injured, after a fire broke out on Friday night in a four-storey footwear warehouse in northwest Delhi. Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said the incident was reported from Jai Mata Market located in Keshavpuram’s A2 block at 11.30 p.m. “The fire broke out at a storage facility located in the building’s basement and soon enveloped the entire building,” said a senior DFS official. He said four labourers, who were sleeping on the ground floor were trapped, but were rescued as soon as possible. One of them, who is yet to be identified, died after falling unconscious due to the fumes and got burnt, the official said. Eight fire tenders were called to fight the fire. Residents, however, blamed a delay in the arrival of the fire tenders for the labourer’s death.

The DFS refuted his claims. “We had to take a six-km long detour to reach the area as a flyover is being constructed near Britannia Chowk. We reached the spot as soon as possible,” a DFS official said.

2 days after engineers’ strike, 4 AI flights delayed by snags

Mumbai, May 29 — About 400 Air India Express passengers in two separate flights headed to Chennai and Kochi were stranded at the Mumbai airport for more than five hours on Friday because the airline reported technical snags. Earlier in the day a Calicut-Dubai Air India flight (IC-538) carrying 84 passengers was delayed by about three hours after it was diverted to the Mumbai airport because the pilot suspected a hydraulic failure. This is the fourth case of flight delay of AI flights caused by technical snags in the last three days. Flight maintenance is the responsibility of engineers, who went on strike on Tuesday. “They have abandoned us. Nobody is giving any information,” Saharsh David passenger on the Kochi flight. Airline sources suspect that a section of aircraft engineers are purposely “going slow” in tackling snags to protest the sacking of 58 employees and suspension of 28 others. The action was to punish them for the flash strike called by two unions comprising engineers and other airline staff. “Engineers going slow in their work is a possibility. The members are furious about the sacking,” said an aircraft maintenance engineer, requesting anonymity. The Calicut-Dubai Air India flight landed at the city airport at 11.45 am under full emergency conditions – amidst fire tenders, an ambulance and rescue staff. Passengers were shifted in the spare aircraft that left at 2.55 pm. The aircraft with the snag was stuck in Mumbai until late evening. On Wednesday, a Jeddah-Mumbai flight was delayed by 24 hours because of a technical snag. The aircraft was diverted to Delhi to clear passengers stranded by the strike and again a technical snag was reported that delayed the flight by another six hours. “It is an effective tool to paralyse operations. Nobody can hold the engineer responsible for delaying repair work,” said an engineer with the airline. “An engineer can dilly-dally work by insisting that he will finish the paperwork first.”

An Air India spokesperson denied any such possibility. “Repair work depends on the nature of the snag,” the spokesperson said.

Pilot failed to signal SOS, being blamed for Mangalore air crash

Mangalore, May 22 (ANI): The pilot of the Air India Express flight from Dubai to Mangalore failed to signal or announce an emergency landing, and this is being cited as a factor leading to Saturday”s crash near Mangalore Airport.

At least 169 people are feared dead after an Air India Express aircraft from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway while landing at the Mangalore airport on Saturday morning.

A total of 173 people including the crew members were on board the flight that crashed around 6: 30 a.m.

At least 20 fire tenders have been rushed to the site as the plane is on fire and smoke was seen coming out of the airport.

The rescue operation is still on with the help of around 150 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.

It has been reported that there are six survivors, who have been rushed to the hospital.

Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya said incident happened near a valley 10 kilometers from the airport.

Meanwhile, the Mangalore airport has been shut for the time being.

There are reports that Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has rushed to Mangalore to monitor the situation. (ANI)

Over 169 dead in Mangalore air crash

Mangalore, May 22 (ANI): At least 169 people are feared dead after an Air India Express aircraft from Dubai to Mangalore overshot the runway while landing at the Mangalore airport on Saturday morning.

A total of 173 people, including the crew members were on board the flight that crashed around 6: 30 a.m.

At least 20 fire tenders have been rushed to the site as the plane is on fire and smoke was seen coming out of the airport.

The rescue operation is still on with the help of around 150 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.

It has been reported that there are six survivors, who have been rushed to the hospital.

Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya said incident happened near a valley 10 kilometers from the airport.

Meanwhile, the Mangalore airport has been shut for the time being.

There are reports that Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has rushed to Mangalore to monitor the situation. (ANI)

Maoists blow up railway track in Bihar

Motihari (Bihar), May 20 (ANI): Fourteen oil tankers of a goods train derailed and caught fire after Maoists blew up a railway line between Dighwara and Pipra stations in Bihar”s West Champaran District, around 25 kilometers from Motihari early on Thursday morning.

It has been reported that the Maoists blasted dynamites to blow up the railway line at Chintamani village at around 2: 30 a.m.

The goods train was on its way to Raxaul on the Indo-Nepal border from Muzaffarpur.

It took more than four-and-half-hours for the fire tenders that were rushed from Muzaffarpur and Motihari to extinguish the flames.

There are reports that the Maoists left behind several posters and leaflets.

Meanwhile, a combing operation has been launched in the area to get hold of the ultras. (ANI)

Fire engulfs Ajmer battery factory

Ajmer (Rajasthan), May 8 (ANI): A massive fire gutted a battery factory in Rajasthan”s Ajmer city.

Around eight to nine fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.

“The factory had a large stock of batteries and raw materials. We don”t know the reason how the factory caught fire, but we reached here with all our fire tender vehicles and even called our staff from their homes. The intensity of the fire was very high but most importantly the fire did not spread to the adjacent areas,” said Fire Officer Habib.

“Our motive was to control the fire as there was a godown of Ajmer gas nearby, where oxygen and carbon dioxide gases are stored. The godown might have caught fire. So our primary job was to cordon off the area and then nearly 8-9 fire tenders helped in bringing the fire under control,” he added.

Raw materials and batteries worth hundreds of thousands were reportedly damaged in the fire that took place on Friday evening. (ANI)

Fire at Lajpat Nagar untensils shop

New Delhi, April 19 (ANI): At least 16 fire tenders had to be pressed into service to curb a fire that broke out at a utensils shop in the Central Market of Lajpat Nagar here on Monday.

Fire officials described the fire as “difficult one”.

“The fire was not serious but it was a difficult fire basically. Ground, first and second, all the three floors were under fire and the second floor is kind of a godown. There is no space to go there,” said Atul Garg, Divisional Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service Headquarters.

“There is an internal staircase, which is the only way to reach there; all other sides have their material stored. That”s why we are facing a little problem. It”s not a serious fire but a bit difficult…you can say,” he added.

However, later, fire officials managed to put it under control.

“Fire is absolutely under control. There is no danger of fire spreading and no need to panic. There is little fire now but 90% (of fire) has been doused,” said
The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained,” Garg informed.

No person was injured in the fire. (ANI)

Panic in Allahabad after concrete mixing plant catches fire

Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 19 (ANI): Residents in Jhusi, the biggest town in Allahabad District are in a state of panic after a concrete mixing plant caught fire.

The incident took place around 10:30 p.m., while coal was being uploaded at the concrete mixing plant.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

People said that the fire tenders did not come on time to extinguish the blaze.

“If the fire fighting vehicles had come in time, then the fire could have been put out on time. After trying for one and a half hours I got through the number,” said Santosh Bhatia, a local.

Property worth Rs 7-8 million has reportedly been damaged. (ANI)

Panic in Allahabad after concrete mixing plant catches fire

Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 19 (ANI): Residents in Jhusi, the biggest town in Allahabad District are in a state of panic after a concrete mixing plant caught fire.

The incident took place around 10:30 p.m., while coal was being uploaded at the concrete mixing plant.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

People said that the fire tenders did not come on time to extinguish the blaze.

“If the fire fighting vehicles had come in time, then the fire could have been put out on time. After trying for one and a half hours I got through the number,” said Santosh Bhatia, a local.

Property worth Rs 7-8 million has reportedly been damaged. (ANI)

Major fire at CGO complex building

New Delhi, Sept 17 (ANI): A major fire broke out in the Electronic Niketan building in the CGO complex on Lodhi road on Thursday morning.

However, no report of any casualties was reported.

The blaze broke out in the first floor at around 3:45 a.m.

According to fire brigade officials, fire tenders extinguished the flames after battling it for about four hours.

It seems that the fire was caused by a short circuit. (ANI)

Fire at Andhra Pradesh High Court

Hyderabad, Aug 31 (ANI): A fire broke out in the Andhra Pradesh High Court building in the wee hours on Monday.

According to sources, the fire started around 4. am. in the second floor of the court which houses library and lockers of the advocates.

Over 10 fire tenders extinguished the flames after battling it for about five hours.

Fire personnel suspect that a short circuit triggered by the lightning may have caused the fire. However, actual cause of fire is yet to be ascertained.

The court will remain closed at least for two days to take stock of the damage. (ANI)

Seven to eight persons rescued in building collapse incident: BMC(Lead: Mumbai building)

Mumbai, Aug.25 (ANI): At least seven to eight persons were rescued out of 100-year-old residential building whose front portion collapsed at 6.45 p.m here on Lamington Road of the central Mumbai on Tuesday, said senior official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

“Seven to eight person trapped under the rubble of collapsed 100-year-old building have been saved. They have been rushed to the hospital. There are no reports of any death so far,” said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Commissioner Jairaj Phatak while addressing the media persons.

“The rubble of the collapsed portion of the building will be cleared within two hours,” Phatak said at 8.00 o’ clock.

At least 10 people were feared to be trapped under the rubble of the central Mumbai’s five-storey Khatau Mansion building whose front part collapsed here on Tuesday evening.

About 10 fire tenders were rushed to spot for rescue operation along with the police personnel after the incident. (ANI)

Three persons rescued in the building collapse incident of central Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug.25 (ANI): At least three of the 10 people trapped under the rubble of the central Mumbai’s five-storey building that collapsed here on Tuesday evening have been brought out during the rescue operation being carried out by police and fire brigade personnel.

Some construction work was on at the time of the tragic incident, which occurred at the Lamington Road here, an IBN 7 report stated.

According to initial reports, the front portion of the Khatau Mansion Building, located on Lamington Road of the central Mumbai, caved in.

About a dozen fire tenders have been rushed to the place of incident for facilitating rescue operations. (ANI)

12 arrested for violence in Kolkata football match

Kolkata, Aug 24 (ANI): Kolkata police on Monday arrested 12 people in connection with Sunday’s violence during a football match.

The violence erupted after an irate mob set a premier resort on the outskirts of the city on fire on Sunday evening.

According to sources the team that lost the match picked up a fight with the referee. Soon, some trouble mongers stormed the ground, threw bombs and even opened fire, killing one boy.

Police said problem started after the loosing team suddenly attacked the winners with bombs and guns.

“One person was killed and over 15 were injured in the clash. The injured were hospitalised. At least 30 cottages have been burnt and 10 fire tenders are trying to control the blaze,” Deputy Inspector General of Presidency Range, S N Gupta said.

The hooligans then fled to the Vedic Village – a luxury tourist resort next door. Locals chased them and set some buildings on fire.(ANI)

Major fire at a cotton godown in Jabalpur city

Jabalpur, Aug.8 (ANI): A major fire at a cotton godown on Saturday evening gutted property worth millions of rupees in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city. No casualty was reported in the incident.

The incident occurred at about 5.00 p.m in Basti Hanumatal, a crowded residential colony here.

Ten fire tenders were pressed into service to curb the fire. But the fire fighters had a hard time managing through narrow lanes to reach the cotton godown due to it being in a crowded place.

“After battling for almost two hours, we were able to control the fire and will be able to completely douse it in another half-an-hour,” Usman Khan, a fire official said.

Officials said the losses could run into millions of rupees.

“Losses can be estimated of around five million rupees…the accident took place in a residential area and moreover there were not enough equipment to douse the fire, and that was why the fire was raging. The fire had largely spread when the fire brigade reached,” added Khan.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. By Rakesh Mishra (ANI)

Minor fire at Taj Mahal hotel of Mumbai

Mumbai, June 27 (ANI): Six fire tenders and eight water tankers were rushed to the Taj Mahal hotel on Saturday after a minor fire broke out in the basement area of the hotel.

The incident, which took place due to short-circuit, however, did not involve any casualty and the fire was soon brought under control.

“Fire down at the basement near the main locker room, has been put out under control, there was lot of smoke nobody injured, nobody hurt. We are just clearing out the whole thing. By evening we should be back in operations,” Krishnakant, vice chairman, Taj Hotel told media.

Fire officials said the fire was because of the short circuit detected near the staff locker room.

“The fire was there in the basement, mainly in the cable shaft, the cable caught fire so there was lot of smoke. We went inside and the fire is now totally under control,” said Uday Tatkare, deputy chief officer of Fire Brigade department.

The same hotel bore the brunt of the militant attack on November 26, 2008. (ANI)

Fire at Agra market, shops severely damaged

Agra, June 20 (IANS) Fire fighters battled till Saturday morning to put out a blaze that broke out at the Jatni Bagh commercial complex here at about midnight and reduced some shops to ashes, police said.
The fire broke out at a firecracker godown owned by Manoj Jain after an electrical short circuit. It soon engulfed neighbouring shops stocked with foam and leather.

Many shops were severely damaged and some were completely gutted by about 6 a.m., when the fire was finally put out.

Police officials said the local fire brigade was supported by fire tenders sent by the army and Mathura oil refinery.

Shopkeepers said the inferno had caused damage of property and goods worth nearly Rs.1.5 million.

Major fire in Punjab’s Kotkapura area

Kotkapura (Punjab), May 23 (ANI): In a major incident in Punjab’s Faridkot district’s Kotkapura area, around 8,000 new and old electricity transformers along with power cables were gutted into fire on Saturday evening.

Seven fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blazing fire but the fire was yet to be brought under control till 9.30 in evening.

Since the power service station is close to residential area, authorities made pubic to evacuate the place and had called in the Army personnel for help. By Sarabjeet Singh (ANI)

Fire destroys goods worth millions in Gwalior

Gwalior, May 18 (ANI): Goods worth millions of rupees were destroyed as massive fire burnt down a godown of power transformers, on the outskirts of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.

In the middle of the night, the godown caught fire and the blazes became quite fierce.

According to the fire brigade officials, the inferno spread due to lack of safety and preventive setups in the godown.

As the fire spreads, students from the nearby hostel of the Maharana Pratap College of Technology became panicky and vacated their hostel rooms along with their belongings.

They blamed the fire officials for being late in reaching the spot.

However, the officials of the fire brigade denied the accusations.

“The accusation on us regarding our late arrival is absolutely incorrect. Our fire brigade arrived and then unlocked the doors towards the godown. No one from the power transmission department informed us. They didn’t even have any safety arrangements. They have such a huge godown; security arrangements should have been there. When we arrived, we woke up the watchman and then opened the doors to control the fire,” said Devendra Sharma, officer of the Gwalior fire brigade.

Scores of fire tenders from the Air Force base at Maharajpur, the Border Security Force, and Municipal Corporation were rushed to the spot to control the fire.

Once the fire is completely extinguished, further investigations into the incident will ascertain the exact cause and overall losses and other damages. (ANI)

Militants attack NATO supply terminal in Peshawar

Peshawar, May 13 (ANI): Armed militants on Wednesday launched a rocket attack on a NATO supply terminal located on Peshawar’s Ring Road, Geo news reports.

According to the sources, a fire broke out following the attack by unidentified militants.

Fire tenders have been dispatched to the crime scene and rescue efforts are underway.

Wednesday’s incident was only the latest in the series of attacks targeting NATO supplies on Peshawar’s Ring Road.

Taliban guerrillas have torched over 500 NATO vehicles in the last year.

Some 70 percent of Western supplies come through militant-infested western Pakistan. (ANI)