Two workers were charred to death after a fire broke out at a tyre oil factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur Dehat district on Monday evening, officials said. The victims were on top of a tank around 30 feet high when the blaze erupted.

The two men became trapped by the flames and fell to the ground, while four other workers and a tanker driver managed to escape. The fire was brought under control in around 40 minutes, while police are investigating its exact cause.

Fire Breaks Out During Tyre Loading

The blaze started around 5:30 pm at the Om JVRD factory near Jariha village in Gajner, around 44 km from the district headquarters. Six workers were loading discarded tyres into a tank when the fire broke out.

The factory has been operating for around five years and produces tyre oil by heating discarded tyres inside a sealed chamber without oxygen.

The fire spread rapidly, sending thick black smoke into the surrounding area that was visible from nearly 2 km away.

Chief Fire Officer Prateek Srivastava said he received information about the incident around 5:50 pm and reached the factory with three fire tenders from the Mati fire station. Three additional fire tenders were subsequently brought in.

“One of the two oil tanks had caught fire. We immediately began cooling the adjoining tank and used foam to put out the fire,” Srivastava said.

Two Workers Killed, Others Escape

The two workers who were on the tank were unable to escape after the flames spread and fell from the structure. They suffered fatal burn injuries.

Superintendent of Police Shraddha Narendra Pandey said the victims had not yet been identified.

Pandey, along with Additional SP Alok Prasad and Circle Officer Sanjay Singh, visited the factory and assessed the situation.

Four other workers and a tanker driver managed to escape from the factory during the fire.

Police Examine Bidi Allegation

Factory owner Ramesh Chandra Gupta told police that workers had previously been caught carrying bidis into the storage area.

Gupta alleged that some workers had again taken bidis inside the premises on Monday and suggested that this could have triggered the blaze.

Police are examining the factory owner’s claim as part of their investigation into the cause of the fire. The exact circumstances that led to the blaze have not yet been established.

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