Fire in firecrackers warehouse, three injured

LUCKNOW - At least three people were injured Wednesday when a major fire broke out in a warehouse storing firecrackers in a densely populated area of Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district, police said.

The fire engulfed the warehouse in Chowk area, some 250 km from here.

“It could have resulted in a major mishap, but the fire was controlled from spreading to nearby establishments with the timely intervention of fire-fighting officials. The fire is now under control,” police inspector Shailendra Singh told reporters in Varanasi.

“It needs to be probed how the establishment in the densely populated area was being used as a warehouse for storing crackers. We have initiated an investigation,” he said.

Though the exact cause behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, police believe a short circuit could be the reason.

The three employees of the warehouse, who received burn injuries, were being treated in a hospital and are stated to be out of danger.

Police are yet to trace the owner of the warehouse.