Kantabanji: Properties worth over Rs 1 crore were destroyed after a major fire swept through Om Organic Cotton Mill at Kurli village on this town’s outskirt in Bolangir district Wednesday. The fire started as a result of a short circuit in the electrical installations of the mill. As a result 3000 quintal of cotton and other equipment were gutted. On being informed, fire personnel rushed to the spot and tried to control the blaze.
Later, fire personnel from Muribahal, Bongomunda, and Belpada chipped in and doused the flames after they struggled for long hours. Fire officials claimed that dumping of a huge amount of cotton dust on the terrace led to the rapid spread of fire that first occurred due to the short circuit in the electrical installations. Moreover, the factory was not having any fire extinguisher that led to the rapid spread of fire.
A senior fire officer said there are over 10 cotton mills in and around Kantabanji town but none of the factory owners have installed firefighting equipment in their mills to safeguard the properties and lives of their employees.
When contacted, proprietor Anil Kumar Agarwall of Om Organic Cotton Mill pegged the loss at Rs 3 crore. He said all the machines and equipment of his mill have been destroyed. PNN