Page 2 - Fire

20 passengers dead, 16 injured as private bus catches fire in Jaisalmer

Twenty passengers were burnt alive and 16 were critically injured when a private bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire on Tuesday, police said. According to police, the bus, carrying 57 passengers, left Jaisalmer around 3 pm. On the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway, smoke began emerging from the rear portion. The driver stopped the bus along the roadside, but within moments, the flames engulfed the vehicle. Locals and passers-by rushed to the spot and assisted in the rescue efforts. Army personnel also assisted in the operation. Fire tenders and police were informed, and the injured passengers were taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer for treatment. Police said 16 critically injured passengers have been referred to a hospital in Jodhpur. Prima facie, it appears that the fire broke out due to a short circuit, police said. BJP MLA from Pokran Pratap Puri informed PTI about the death toll of 20 passengers. He said, "19 passengers died in the bus and one succumbed to burn .

4-storey chemical factory in Indore gutted in fire, no casualties reported

A four-storey chemical factory in Madhya Pradesh's Indore was gutted in a massive fire which broke out in the wee hours of Tuesday, a civic official said. No casualties were reported, he said. The blaze was reported at the chemical factory located in the Sanwer Road industrial area at 2.15 am on Tuesday, Indore Municipal Corporation's fire officer Vinod Mishra told PTI. He said the blaze was so severe that fire engines and firefighters were called in from Indore as well as nearby towns like Depalpur, Betma, Mhow, Pithampur and Sanwer to control it. The four-storey factory, spread over approximately 20,000 square feet, was reduced to ashes in the massive fire, the official said. "There are no reports of any casualties in the fire," he said. More than 100 water tankers were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control in the morning, Mishra said. The cause of the blaze was not yet known and the damage to the chemical unit was being assessed, he added.

Blast at Tennessee explosives plant leaves 19 missing, feared dead: Sheriff

An explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant Friday left 19 people missing and feared dead, authorities said. Humphreys Count Sheriff Chris Davis said it was one of the most devastating scenes he's ever seen. He did not specify how many people were killed but referred to the 19 missing as souls and said officials were still speaking to family. The blast, which people reported hearing and feeling miles away, occurred at Accurate Energetic Systems in rural Tennessee. The company's website says it makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 97 km southwest of Nashville. The cause of the explosion, which Davis called devastating," was not immediately known, and the investigation could take days, the sheriff said. Aerial footage of the aftermath by WTVF-TV showed the explosion had apparently obliterated one of the facility's hilltop buildings, leaving only smoldering wreckage and the burnt-out shells of .

Rohini fire destroys 40-45 shanties in Delhi; no casualties reported

Several shanties were gutted after a massive fire broke out in a cluster of jhuggis in the Shahbad Daulatpur area close to Rohini's Sector 18 on Sunday evening, officials said. According to the police, about 40 to 45 temporary huts in Bengali Basti, Shahbad Daulatpur, were engulfed in flames. Firefighters were seen extinguishing the blaze while standing on piles of bricks from the destroyed shanties, with thick smoke filling the air. The fire lit up the night sky across the stretch of land, while teams of the Delhi Fire Service, police and other concerned authorities remained on the site overseeing the firefighting and relief measures. A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said they received the call about the fire at 7:01 PM, after which 10 fire tenders were dispatched to the location. The fire was brought under control in about an hour and a half, around 8.30 pm. "Since it involved a cluster of shanties, 10 vehicles were sent in total to douse the fire," the official said. In its .

One killed in blast at illegal firework manufacturing unit in Kannur

One person died after a powerful explosion brought down an entire house, where explosives were allegedly being stored for preparing fireworks, at Kannapuram in this north Kerala district early Saturday morning, police said. The deceased has been identified as K Mohammad Asham of Challad here, who was inside the house when the explosion occurred. Police have registered a case against Anoop Malik, who had taken the house on rent. Asham was a distant relative of Malik, who is currently absconding, police said. It said that Malik was a supplier of fireworks and had been involved in a similar blast at a house in Podikundu in 2016, where explosives were illegally stocked. According to the police, the blast occurred around 1.50 am. "The intensity of the blast caused the entire structure to collapse and partially damaged four neighbouring houses," an officer from Kannapuram police station said. Police called in the bomb detection and disposal squad to clear the area of any remaining explo

Fire breaks out at Delhi's Inderlok shoe market, no casualties reported

Multiple fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and efforts to bring the blaze under control are currently underway

Evacuations ordered at Grand Canyon, Black Canyon parks amid wildfires

Visitors and staff at two national parks in the U.S. West have been evacuated because of wildfires. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lighting sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. The wildfire on the South Rim has burned 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers), with no containment of the perimeter. The park is closed until further notice. The conditions there have been ripe for wildfire with hot temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and dry vegetation, the park said, adding that weather remained a concern Friday. Firefighters saved the visitor center along the South Rim by removing dry vegetation and coating the building in a layer of protective material, fire officials said. Small aircrafts from Colorado's Division of Fire Prevention and Control dropped retardant from the sky Friday while ground crews tried to contain the burn. The Grand Canyon's North Rim in Arizona also closed

7 missing in California after warehouse explosion sets off massive blaze

Seven people were missing Wednesday following an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in rural Northern California that caused a massive fire that spread to farm fields and forced evacuations in the surrounding community, authorities said. Emergency crews and investigators were working with the property's owner and monitoring the area using drones to find the individuals, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was not immediately clear if those missing worked at the warehouse or lived nearby. People were urged to avoid the area after the Tuesday night blast, which set off a barrage of fireworks and caused a huge blaze that led to other spot fires and collapsed the building near Esparto in Yolo County about 64 kilometres northwest of Sacramento. The cause of the explosion was under investigation. The fire will take time to cool, and once it does, explosive experts must safely enter the site to assess and secure the area, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office sa

2 killed in Spanish wildfire as extreme heat wave hits parts of Europe

Europe's continuing heat wave on Wednesday helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union presented plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under scorching temperatures. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday created an enormous thick plume of ash and smoke that rose 14,000 metres into the sky, making it the largest registered by firefighters in Catalonia, a northeastern region of Spain. Two farmers were killed while apparently trying to flee in a vehicle, local authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters said that the fire spread at 28 kph (17 mph) at one point as it consumed 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) mostly of grain fields. Wildfires today are not like they were before, Salvador Illa, the regional president of Catalonia, said. These are extremely dangerous. From the very first moment, it was considered to be beyond the capacity of extinction. I mean that not even with two or three times the number of firefighters, they have told me, it would have been possib

T'gana govt slams Sigachi industries management's absence post deadly blast

The Telangana government on Tuesday gave a dressing down to the management of Sigachi Industries Ltd for its absence following a factory blast that claimed 35 lives in this district. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accompanied by Ministers Sridhar Babu, Damodara Raja Narasimha, G Vivek and P Rsinivasa Reddy visited the factory blast site and reviewed the situation with senior officials. The CM sought a comprehensive report on the incident, including details of past similar occurrences and preventive measures taken. The fatal blast and fire accident at a plant belonging to Sigachi on Monday left 35 dead and an almost equal number injured. Replying to the Chief Minister's query, a company official said the Founder and Executive Chairman of Sigachi was here on Monday. Reddy also pressed the company for an action plan regarding the compensation to the victims. Major accident has taken place. He (senior management) has to come. He has to visit the deceased person's families. You can no

Pashamylaram reactor blast: 10 dead, several injured in Telangana fire

At least 10 dead, several feared trapped after reactor blast sparks massive fire at Sigachi Chemical unit in Telangana's Pashamylaram; rescue ops underway

Gunman started blaze, then shot 2 firefighters in ambush sniper attack

Authorities said a suspect shot at firefighters responding to a blaze near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and the sheriff said two people were killed and police were still "taking sniper fire" on Sunday afternoon. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain around 1:30 pm (local time) and gunshots were reported about a half hour later. Governor Brad Little said multiple firefighters were attacked. This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more," Little said on X. The sheriff's office in neighbouring Soshone County said on Facebook that authorities were dealing with an active shooter situation where the shooter is still at large". An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 6.5 km north of downtown Coeur d'Alene. The fire was still burning. N

Govt clears revised ₹5,940 crore plan for Jharia Coalfield rehabilitation

The revised plan prioritises a phased approach to tackle fire and subsidence, focusing first on the most vulnerable sites

One killed in massive fire at banquet hall near west Delhi's DLF Moti Nagar

A man died in a massive fire, which broke out at a banquet hall near west Delhi's DLF Moti Nagar area, an official on Tuesday said. The deceased, identified as Rajesh, is a carpenter by profession, he said. Two people were initially trapped in the fire that broke out at 8.47 pm on Monday. While one managed to escape, Rajesh got trapped in the fire. "Prima facie, Rajesh died due to suffocation. However, the exact cause of death will be ascertained after post-mortem," a senior police officer said. Initially, 18 fire tenders were rushed to the spot with six more dispatched later on. "We received a call regarding a fire at 8.47 pm at Golden Banquet Hall opposite DLF Moti Nagar. A total of 24 fire tenders were rushed to the site," a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. The visuals from the scene show thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the night sky as flames engulfed large portions of the Golden Banquet Hall.

Fire breaks out in Delhi's CCS building on Janpath Road, no casualties

A fire broke out in the Common Central Secretariat (CCS) building here on Saturday morning, prompting authorities to rush 15 fire tenders, a DFS official said. No casualties have been reported so far, he said. A call regarding the blaze breaking out on the third floor of the CCS building located on Janpath road was received at 11.13 am, the Delhi Fire Services official (DFS) said. "We rushed 15 fire tenders to the location and the blaze was doused off by 12.20 pm. No injuries have been reported so far," he added. The official said the fire broke out in the hall measuring around 12x80 square metres in area. The fire spread across the furniture, fixtures and fittings of the hall, he said.

Fires break out at Delhi coaching centre, hotel; no casualties reported

Separate fire incidents were reported on Sunday at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar and a hotel in Paschim Vihar; both were contained swiftly with no injuries

Morning exams cancelled after fire at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College library

A massive fire broke out in the library of Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce in northwest Delhi's Pitampura on Thursday morning, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said. "A short circuit in the library's server triggered the fire, extensively damaging hundreds of books in the section that housed old books. The library is still filled with smoke, and a detailed assessment of the losses will be possible only once visibility improves," a senior college official told PTI. The blaze erupted at around 8:55 am and engulfed the first, second and third floors of the four-storey library, DFS chief Atul Garg said. Soon, 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by 9:40 am, Garg said, adding that no one was injured in the incident. "Several window panes shattered due to the high flames, and the fire spread rapidly due to strong winds. Our teams responded swiftly and managed to douse the flames," a senior fire official said, adding that cooling operations are

Police nabs Gujarat firecracker godown's owner where blast-fire killed 21

Police on Tuesday arrested the owner of a godown near Deesa town in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, hours after a powerful blast and fire killed 21 persons there, officials said. Firecrackers were allegedly stored and manufactured illegally at the godown, they said. Deepak Mohnani, who owns the godown, was arrested by a team of Banaskantha police from neighbouring Sabarkantha district on Tuesday night, Inspector General of Border Range Chirag Koradia said. "We have arrested the main accused, Deepak Mohnani from a place in Sabarkantha," the Range IG told PTI. The warehouse - Deepak Traders - was owned by Deepak and his father Khubchand Mohnani, officials earlier said. The explosion, which occurred approximately at 9.45 am, flattened the godown in an industrial area near Deesa town, around 30 km from the Banaskantha district headquarters. "All the deceased persons were originally from Harda and Dewas districts of Madhya Pradesh," district collector Mihir Patel said. At least 21 ..

Wildfires ravage southern S Korea, killing 18, forcing 27,000 to evacuate

At least 16 people died and another 19 were injured as wildfires ravaged South Korea's southern regions amid dry weather and strong winds, government officials said on Wednesday. Officials in Andong city and other southeastern cities and towns ordered residents to evacuate on Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fuelled by dry winds, which burned more than 43,000 acres of land and destroyed hundreds of structures, including a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple. More than 5,500 people were forced to evacuate from their homes in Andong, the neighbouring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, where the fires were the largest, according to South Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety. South Korean officials earlier on Tuesday said that firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but the ongoing dry and windy weather caused setbacks and allowed the blazes to spread again. Nearly 9,000 firefighters, .

Watch: Supreme Court probe report shows burnt cash at Delhi judge's home

The report states that four to five semi-burnt stacks of Indian currency were found at Justice Yashwant Varma's residence during a firefighting operation on the night of March 14