Man dies in fire at ethanol plant at Naraingarh

Ambala, May 2

A major fire broke out in the ethanol tanks of Oasis Ethanol industries at Jatwar village in Naraingarh today, which claimed the life of a 42-year-old employee.

The deceased, Neeraj, a native of Uttar Pradesh, had been working in the factory since 2013. Around 9 am, the fire broke out in an ethanol storage tank and soon spread to three more units. It took several hours to control the fire in the tanks but flames were witnessed on the premises till evening.

The plant manager said around 9 am, a loud sound was heard and employees noticed fire at the storage tanks. An alert was sounded and the Fire Department was informed. One employee died in the incident. About 2.5-3 lakh litres of ethanol was stored in the tanks.

Fire officer Tarsem Rana said, “We received information around 9 am that a fire had broken out in the ethanol tanks in the plant at Jatwar. Nearly 10 fire tenders were pressed into service. While fire in two tanks has been doused, flames on the other two are yet to be put out. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The plant has a fire NOC.”

Naraingarh SDM Yash Jaluka said, “One person has lost life in the incident and the fire is under control. All efforts are being made by the Fire Department to douse the flames. The officials of the plant told us that the deceased employee was insured and his family would get due compensations.”