GHAZIABAD: A tricycle factory-cum-godown was gutted in a massive fire that broke out in Site 4 Industrial Area, Sahibabad at 8am on Friday. Though over 80 workers are employed in the factory, only one was in the building when the fire broke out. He was unhurt.The blaze started at 'Siddh Tricycle Industry, 49/61' after a worker, Raju, switched on the main electricity supply on the ground floor that resulted in a sudden explosion in the basement. The fire completely destroyed the raw plastic material, metal frames, nine manufacturing units and oil drums along with the roof and furniture kept in the building. "The loss is indescribable and it will take time to recover from it," said the nephew of the owner, who did not wish to be named.Fire officials, however, blamed factory owner Anil Kachru for not investing in fire safety equipment, presuming that a fire tragedy would never happen there. "The area around the building is completely covered in metal sheets and fabric when it should be open. This is illegal. They have also created a makeshift roof structure on the terrace, which is again a violation of commercial spaces," said A R Sharma, chief fire officer.The firefighting continued till 1pm, while a minor fire was still being contained in the basement when this report was filed. The basement is divided into several smaller pockets by metal sheets where the machines were kept to produce plastic material used to construct the tricycles, which should not be used for any other purpose other than storage, said a fire official.As many as 15 fire-tenders were rushed to the spot from Sahibabad, Vaishali and Kotwali stations and from Noida as well. "We got information about the fire by 8.35am at our Sahibabad control room number. We were informed by one worker, Raju, who is responsible for arriving early and opening the factory at 8am every day," said the officer.According to fire officials, a huge fire had erupted nearly 18 months ago at the same place and around 25 workers were rescued at that time. The officials said incense sticks called 'Kuber' were produced at this location then, but the factory was on rent with the same owner. "This is the second time that it is happening at the same place. Even after the previous incident, we told the owner to install updated fire safety equipment to avoid crisis like these, but turns out he did not listen. People can invest in installing CCTV cameras for security, but they still do not invest in fire safety equipment assuming that it will never happen to them," added Sharma.Though a fire hydrant unit was on the terrace, it was not in a working condition due to condensation.

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