Ramshehar, Solan, May 6: Two migrant workers were killed in a devastating fire that broke out early Tuesday morning at the Hari Chetna Rosin and Turpentine factory in Kosri village near Bhiunkhari, under the Ramshehar area of Nalagarh subdivision.
The deceased have been identified as Arjun Kumar (50) and Shiv Dayal (24), both residents of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh.
According to eyewitnesses, the two were asleep inside the factory sheds when a sudden blast triggered the fire, leaving them no chance to escape.
“They were caught completely off guard. The fire spread rapidly after the blast,” said an onlooker, adding that black plumes of smoke could be seen from a distance as the flames intensified.
Firefighting teams rushed to the scene shortly after receiving an alert around 4 a.m. Two fire tenders were dispatched from Nalagarh, located over 35 kilometers from the site.
As the situation escalated, another unit was sent from Baddi to assist in dousing the flames, given the highly flammable materials stored at the factory.
Santosh Sharma, Commandant of the Home Guards, said the fire was brought under control after several hours of continuous effort, but complete extinguishment was still pending at the time of reporting.
“Our teams managed to contain the blaze from spreading further, but the fire has not been fully doused yet,” Sharma stated.
The factory’s remote location prevented the fire from threatening any nearby residential areas, officials said.
Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire.
An investigation is expected to be launched once the site is declared safe. The bodies of the deceased were recovered and sent for post-mortem.
Arjun Kumar was a native of Pahadan Purva village, while Shiv Dayal belonged to Madhopur village—both in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district.
