Dhanbad: 14 die in massive fire at multi-story building
What's the story
At least 14 people lost their lives, and many others were injured after a major fire broke out at a multi-story building in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on Tuesday. Among the ones who died were ten women and three children, as per the news agency PTI. Furthermore, Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh also revealed that 11 individuals are currently undergoing treatment.
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Details on the fire at Ashirwad Tower
The fire erupted late on Tuesday evening at Ashirwad Tower, a thirteen-story building in Joraphatak. It is located in a busy part of the city, which is approximately 160km away from Ranchi. According to officials, approximately 40 firefighters arrived to douse the flames. Sandeep Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Dhanbad, also confirmed 8-10 individuals had been rescued. They suffered severe burns, he added.
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Cause of fire still unknown: Singh
Singh, who is closely following the rescue work along with top police officials, also revealed that it is still not clear what caused the fire. "The locals said there was some puja in progress, but all this has to be confirmed," said the Deputy Commissioner.
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Injured sent to medical college for treatment: Kumar
"The injured are being sent to the Medical College. The rescue work is over. But we have not taken a proper headcount yet. This will be done jointly by the police and the fire department personnel," said Kumar. "Now we are doing a final combing of the area to ensure that no one is left behind," the Deputy Commissioner added.
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Visuals from the site
Massive fire at Ashirwad Tower, Joraphatak, Dhanbad.
— Rounak Surolia 🇮🇳 (@rounak_surolia) January 31, 2023
20+ people have succumbed to burn suffocation, including children, women older people. This place is only a KM away from my residence. pic.twitter.com/ZSwwVXLCWt
Reaction
Deeply anguished by loss of lives due to fire: Modi
Reacting to this incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs. 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 for the injured. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in Dhanbad. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon," he tweeted.
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Tweet from PM Modi
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the fire in Dhanbad. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 31, 2023
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District administration is working on war footing: Soren
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren reacted to the incident and revealed that the district authority is working "on a war footing." "The death of people due to the fire in Dhanbad is extremely heart-wrenching. The district administration is working on a war footing and treatment is being provided to the injured," Soren wrote in Hindi on Twitter.
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Jharkhand CM's tweet after the incident
परमात्मा दिवगंत आत्माओं को शांति प्रदान कर शोकाकुल परिवारों को दुःख की विकट घड़ी सहन करने की शक्ति दे। घायलों को शीघ्र चिकित्सा उपलब्ध कराने के लिए हर संभव कार्य किया जा रहा है।
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 31, 2023
Similar incident
Second incident in a week
Last week, a fire broke out at a hospital in Dhanbad and killed at least six people, including a doctor couple. The massive fire broke out in the wee hours of Saturday at Hazra Memorial Hospital in the city's Purana Bazar, reported ANI. The deceased were reportedly identified as Dr. Prema Hazra, her husband, Dr. Vikas Hazra, and other employees of the hospital.