Himachal factory fire: 24 workers sustain burn injuries

Chandigarh, Feb 2 (IANS) At least 24 workers of a factory sustained burn injuries after a massive fire broke out on Friday at a cosmetic product manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh's industrial hub Baddi in the state's Solan district. The fire incident happened at the 'Aroma Cosmetic' factory in Jharmajri village.

Four of the injured individuals have been referred to the PGI in Chandigarh.

Three women employees, who jumped from the second floor to escape the fire, were injured.

Thirty-two people have been rescued. Some people are feared to be still trapped in the factory.

The officials said that no loss of life has been reported so far.

The accident spot is some 32 km from Chandigarh.

Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said a team of 40 personnel of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been deployed to rescue the trapped workers.

"An investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause of fire," he said.

Around 50 fire tenders from Punjab and Himachal have been deployed to extinguish the fire.

Due to inflammable chemicals, the fire spread rapidly at around 2 p.m.