Around 15 fire emergencies were reported across Ludhiana between Monday night and Tuesday, keeping firefighting teams occupied even after Diwali. Two hosiery units suffered extensive damage in separate incidents, while an LPG-related fire in Kesar Ganj Mandi destroyed household belongings and cash in workers’ accommodation. A family, including children, managed to evacuate the building safely.
No casualties were reported. Residents suspected that a firecracker had landed inside the factory and ignited the stored material, although the cause of the fire was not confirmed. The premises reportedly housed a sizeable stock of school uniforms, textile material and other combustible goods, which fuelled the blaze. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and teams battled the flames for nearly three hours. The congested neighbourhood and limited access to the factory from the front hampered firefighting efforts. Firefighters eventually gained access through another building opposite the factory to bring the blaze under control. Residents alerted the fire department, following which firefighting teams reached the spot and brought the blaze under control. In Kesar Ganj Mandi, a fire involving an LPG cylinder broke out in a building that housed a shop on the ground floor and workers’ accommodation on the upper floor. A family, including children, managed to get out safely. However, their household belongings and cash kept inside the building were destroyed. Firecrackers were suspected to have triggered some of the incidents. They also cited congested neighbourhoods and the presence of scrap material and waste as recurring obstacles in reaching fire sites and carrying out firefighting operations.
Fire officials said several other calls involved fires in vacant plots, scrap godowns and garbage dumps. One of the most demanding firefighting operations was reported at a three-storey hosiery factory in Subhash Nagar on Rahon Road on Monday night. Another fire broke out at a hosiery unit in Chawni Mohalla on Monday night after hosiery waste stored on the upper floor caught fire.
