UP's Moradabad candle factory fire brought under control; Short circuit suspected: SSP Satpal Antil

The fire that broke out at a candle factory in Moradabad's Krishna Colony in the early hours of Saturday has been brought under control, with a short circuit suspected to have caused the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Satpal Antil said.

The fire that broke out at a candle factory in Moradabad's Krishna Colony in the early hours of Saturday has been brought under control, with a short circuit suspected to have caused the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Satpal Antil said. Speaking to ANI, Antil said, "We received information late tonight that a fire had broken out in a building within the Kotwali police station area--a structure serving as a house, a godown, and a factory."

He said fire tenders and foam tenders were deployed to control the blaze. "We deployed the necessary fire tenders and foam tenders. We strategically arranged for water and foam supplies from every possible angle to control the fire," the SSP said.

Antil said the situation was now under control, though authorities continued to remain vigilant. "We are now in a satisfactory position where the fire has been brought under control, though we remain vigilant. We are monitoring the situation very seriously," he said.

"It appears a short circuit occurred, leading to this incident. Essentially, from what we have observed and gathered, the building serves multiple purposes--as a residence, a godown, and a factory--which complicated the situation," Antil added. He added that efforts were made to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses.

"We made efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses and were largely successful, though some damage did occur to adjacent homes; however, the situation was brought under control in time," he said. Earlier on July 25, two workers lost their lives following a sudden and powerful explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit located inside Kunda Basi village within the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Police and the local administration rushed to the site, prompting an immediate search operation to identify the type of firecracker involved. Speaking with the reporters, Saharanpur District Magistrate and Collector, Arvind Kumar Chauhan, confirmed the details of the events and explained that local law enforcement and administrative teams were immediately mobilised to secure the area and launch a thorough probe.

"An explosion occurred at a firecracker factory in Kunda Basi village...Two workers died in the explosion. The police and the administration are searching...An investigation is underway to determine the type of firecracker involved," he said. (ANI)