Fire at shoe factory in Delhi, one charred to death

A 32-year-old man was charred to death after a fire broke out at a shoe factory in outer Delhi's Narela, officials said. The body was beyond recognition and it was suspected to be of security guard Mangal Mandal, a resident of Bihar, they said, Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said the shoe factory where the fire broke out comprised basement, ground and two upper floors and a call about the fire was received around 12.45 am.

"The fire started from the ground floor of the factory and had spread to the other floors. 24 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire-fighters started dousing the fire first on the ground floor and then broke windows for the smoke to come out. The fire was brought under control within an hour and was followed by the cooling operation," he said.

Around 4:45 pm, Mandal's body was found near the stairs on the top floor of the factory, the official said, adding the floor's gate was locked from inside.

"We suspect that he was trying to escape the fire but got stuck because of the smoke since the raw material inside the factory created a lot of smoke," the fire official said.

The victim worked in the night shift and would guard the factory from inside, he said. According to police, all three stories were engulfed in fire. The factory was locked from inside. "The factory owner -- Praveen Kumar told police that it was a holiday on Saturday and that only guard, Mangal Mandal was supposed to be inside the factory. We are probing if there was any other person trapped inside said Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North). Mandal had been working in Delhi for the past 10 years.