Eight Killed in Fire at Solapur Textile Factory

Eight persons, including three women and a child, were killed in a massive fire at a factory in Akkalkot Road MIDC area of Solapur on Sunday, officials said.

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE:

Prima facie, a short in the circuit triggered the blaze around 3:45 am at Central Textile Mills, that manufactures Solapuri Chaddar and towels. The factory, stood on a 12-gunta plot, had a ground-plus-two-floor structure.

The deceased have been identified as Usman Mansuri (87), owner of the company; Anas Mansuri (24); Sika Mansuri (24); Yusuf Mansuri (1.5); Ayesha Bagwan (45); and factory workers Mehtab Bagwan (51), Hina Bagwan (35), and Salman Bagwan (18).

While trying to douse fire, Rakesh Salunkhe, chief of Solapur Municipal Corporation's fire department, and another two firefighters sustained injuries during rescue operations.

As soon as the fire brigade received the emergency call, multiple teams rushed to the spot and battled the blaze for over 10 hours.

Ten fire engines were deployed, with water tenders arriving from Pandharpur, the NTPC project, Akkalkot, and Chincholi MIDC. However, due to the congested layout of the area, firefighters faced significant challenges in accessing and extinguishing the flames.