Dhanbad: Jharkhand High Court has taken cognizance of the Dhanbad fire incident. The matter will be taken up for hearing on February 2. So far, at least 14 people died in the fire that broke out at the Ashirwad Tower apartment located in the Joda Phatak area of Bank Mor locality.
More than half a dozen people have sustained burn injuries and are undergoing treatment at Pataliputra Nursing Home and Shaheed Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital (SNMMCH). Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner, Sandeep Singh said, "The injured have been undergoing treatment at the hospital and are stated to be out of danger."
Read: Dhanbad high-rise fire: Family members find it difficult to identify charred bodies
The fire broke out in the second floor of the 10-storey building of Ashirwad Tower on Monday. The raging flames then began spreading to the top and bottom floors of the building. Preparations were going for a marriage in one of the flats of the apartment building. Several guests had arrived to attend the marriage ceremony that was supposed to take place at a marriage hall.
Police sources said that preliminary investigation indicated that a burning lamp kept at the worshipping place in a flat, fell on the carpet. Fire from the carpet spread to curtains and later in other parts of the apartment. A gas cylinder also caught fire leading to an explosion.
On seeing the raging flames, the guards of the apartment quickly snapped the electricity connection and also disabled the Lift . The guards then informed the fire brigade about the incident. Panic-stricken people in the apartment building came to the balcony and began pleading for help. Some people were trapped while coming downstairs from the building.
