Massive fire guts waste cloth godown in Haryana; no casualties

Panipat, Feb 11 (PTI) A major fire broke out in a cotton waste cloth godown here on Wednesday, with police evacuating the nearby residents as a precautionary measure, officials said.

No casualties were reported in the incident, police said. However, locals claimed that a few houses nearby were gutted.

The officials said that the blaze engulfed the godown, and nearly fifteen fire tenders from Panipat, Karnal, and Sonipat were pressed into service.

The flames were brought under control after nearly seven hours, the fire and emergency services department from Panipat said.

According to police, the area where the fire broke out was a thickly populated area, and residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Investigations are on to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, they said, adding that there has been no loss of life in the incident.

Locals claimed that a few houses nearby also burned down.

"I am a poor man, and my goods were gutted in the fire. On previous occasions, we have raised concerns about the factory being located in a congested area with people living around, but nothing has been done about it,” a resident said.

“We demand that the factory be shifted from here and we should be compensated for the loss," he added. PTI SUN OZ OZ