Lucknow:
The massive fire that broke out in the JK Jute Mill in Kanpur in the early hours of Sunday was doused after a 12-hour-long firefighting operation.
Property and material worth crores was gutted, though no one was injured as the mill was closed for a two-day break on account of Eid ul Azha and Sunday. At least 17 fire tenders fought the blaze for 12 hours before putting it out.
Fire department officials told IANS that the matting, knitting and sizing wings had been completely gutted. The roof of the one the wings caved in, and machines in the mill were burnt, officials said.
Though an exact estimate of the losses because of the fire would be known only when the management visits mill premises later on Monday, firemen fear that not much remains in the wings that bore the brunt of the blaze.
More than 2,200 workers face an uncertain future. The management has sought extra police presence near the mill Monday, fearing that labourers might turn violent as they face unemployment for a while.