A factory fire at a mattress-manufacturing unit in Barota village of Sonipat district killed two workers and injured four others early Thursday, with three of the injured reported to be in critical condition. Fire officials said a short circuit was suspected, but the exact cause will be established only after a detailed investigation.
The fire broke out at around 4 am at the factory, which operated round-the-clock. The Kundli fire brigade received information at 4.23 am and sent firefighting teams to the site. Around eight fire tenders from Kundli, Sector 23, Education City and other fire stations were deployed as the blaze spread through the premises.
The presence of mattresses and foam inside the unit is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. Fire Officer Rameshwar said firefighters brought the fire under control at around 10 am after battling it for several hours.
The intensity of the blaze caused extensive damage to the factory. Walls on three sides of the structure reportedly collapsed, raising concerns that workers could have been trapped inside. An NDRF team was called in after reports that people might be present in the factory.
After several hours of searching through the debris, the NDRF team recovered the skeletal remains of two workers. Police identified the deceased as Kanhaiya Lal and his nephew, Sunil. Both were residents of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh. Their remains were sent for postmortem examination, police said.
Four other workers suffered burn injuries and were taken to a private hospital in Sonipat. Three of them were reported to be in critical condition, while treatment continued under medical supervision.
Police spokesperson ASI Ravinder Singh said no case had been registered so far. He said further action would be initiated if a formal complaint was received, while police examined the circumstances surrounding the incident from all possible angles.
Fire officials said the suspected short circuit was based on preliminary information and had not been established as the final cause. The detailed investigation into the fire and the factory’s operating conditions is pending.
