15 firefighting vehicles and 100 firemen were pressed into service (Representational)
Three people were killed in a massive fire at a textile dyeing-and-printing mill near Gujarat's Bardoli town early this morning, an official said.
While ten workers were rescued from the three-storey building, charred bodies of three, who were hired for a carpentry job, were found on the first floor, said Bardoli's Chief Fire Officer PB Gadhvi. The carpenters hired to make office furniture by the mill's owner, the fire officer said.
The fire broke out around 3:30 am and was brought under control after 12 hours, Mr Gadhvi said.
"The carpenters had slept on the first floor of the mill after finishing their work. As the fire spread quickly, they got stuck... We recovered the charred bodies after the flames were brought under control in the afternoon. The entire building was gutted," he added.
As the blaze was categorized as "major", 15 firefighting vehicles and 100 firemen from Bardoli, Surat, Sachin, Vyara, Gandevi, Navsari, Bilimora and from two private firms were pressed into service, he said.
Most of the workers came out safely with the help of the locals after the fire began spreading. Firemen rescued 10 other workers who got stuck in the back of the mill.
"The locals claimed that a short circuit followed by exploding gas cylinders started the fire. The flames spread quickly due to the highly flammable chemicals, dyes and yarns inside. A large quantity of ready-made garments and raw material were destroyed," Mr Gadhvi said.