Bhadohi (UP), Apr 18 (PTI) A major fire broke out at a cotton spinning mill in Carpet City area here in the wee hours of Friday, resulting in estimated losses in crores, fire officials said.

The fire at Gaurav Industries, owned by Anil Jaiswal and located near the Carpet Expo Mart, is suspected to have started because of an electrical short circuit shortly after Friday midnight, they said.

Despite the activation of the mill’s automatic fire extinguishing system by the approximately half a dozen employees present, the fire rapidly spread due to the presence of hundreds of cotton sacks and strong winds within the multi-acre facility.

District Fire Officer (DFO) Omprakash Mathur said that seven fire engines were pressed into service for about six hours, finally bringing it under control around 9:00 am on Friday. However, the mill could not be saved from the extensive damage.

The DFO said that a bulldozer was used to demolish parts of the structure to aid in extinguishing the fire.

Preliminary investigations by the Fire Department indicate financial losses in crores. PTI COR CDN HIG HIG