Three perish in factory fire, unit owner, wife injured

Three persons, including a woman and a minor worker, were burnt to death and four others injured in a major fire caused by a blast in a paint-making factory here, police said.
Thefirebroke out around 11:30 AM following a blast in the facility of MP Paint Industries located in Bhanpuri area under Khamtarai police station limits, a police official told PTI.
Two workers -- Sangeeta (28) and Abhishek (17) -- and Birchandra Saggar (76), the father-in-law of the factory owner, perished in the blaze, he said.
The factory owner, Prateek Saggar (40), his wife Shweta (35) and two workers -- Ratna (30) and Suraj Prakash (21) -- suffered burn injuries, he added.

Prateek's residence is located adjacent to the unit, where he stayed with his family members, the official said.
Prateek was at home when he came to know that a drum containing inflammablechemical had caught fire in the unit. Prateek and his family members along with the workers immediately rushed to the spot, the official said.

When the workers were trying to douse the flames by spraying water suddenly an explosion occurred in the drum and caused a major inferno. Those standing nearby suffered burns, he said.
On getting information, a police team and Fire Brigade personnel reached the factory. It took around three hours to control the fire following which three charred bodies were recovered, he said.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital where the condition of Prateek and his wife was said to be serious, the official said.
A probe was on, he added.