Maharashtra: Six Dead In Fire At Candle Factory Near Pune

The fire department received a call about the fire at the Talawade factory around 2.45 pm, according to Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh.

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A fire broke out at a sparkling candle manufacturing unit in the Pimpri Chinchwad area of Pune district, Maharashtra, on Friday, killing at least six people and injuring eight others, according to news agency PTI, citing officials. The fire department received a call about the fire at the Talawade factory around 2.45 pm, according to Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh.

"As per preliminary information, there are six dead bodies, and some with minor/major injuries have been admitted to the hospital. It seems that sparkle birthday candles were manufactured here," says Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Commissioner Shekhar Singh.

VIDEO | "As per preliminary information, there are six dead bodies and some with minor/major injuries have been admitted to the hospital. It seems that sparkle birthday candles were manufactured here," says Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Commissioner Shekhar Singh. pic.twitter.com/kOEYS9pnn5

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As per the report, the factory produced sparkling candles, which are commonly used for birthday celebrations. "The fire has been extinguished. The cause is still unknown," Singh added.

According to the commissioner, the injured were taken to hospitals in Pune and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area.

Earlier on Friday, the Bombay High Court stated that the Maharashtra government took no action and only awoke after the court issued an order informing it that the notification for fire safety rules and regulations would be issued by May 2024.

The high court earlier this week came down heavily on the state government for dragging its feet on the implementation of fire safety rules and regulations despite a report submitted by an expert committee in February this year.

The court had requested a timeline for the notification from the Principal Secretary of the State Urban Development Department.

Jyoti Chavan, an additional government pleader, told a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhya and Justice Arif Doctor on Friday that the mandated procedure would be completed and the final notification would be issued by May 2024.

While accepting this statement, the bench remarked that if the government had acted on the committee's report in February, the regulations would have been issued by now.