The fire started late in the evening at Ashirwad Tower, a 13-storey building in Dhanbad’s Joraphatak.
Patna:
A major fire at a multi-storey building in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad has killed at least 14 people and injured several others today. “The number of deaths is currently 14 and 11 people are being treated. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined,” Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh told Press Trust of India news agency. Among the dead are 10 women and three children, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Deeply anguished by the loss of life due to a fire in Dhanbad. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover quickly”.
Deeply anguished by the loss of life due to a fire in Dhanbad. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover quickly: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 31, 2023
Prime Minister Hemant Soren said the district administration is operating on an emergency basis and the injured are being treated.
“The death of people due to the fire in Dhanbad is extremely heartbreaking. The district administration is working on a war and the injured are being treated. I personally follow it,” Soren said in a Hindi tweet.
धनबाद आशीर्वाद टावर अपार्टमेंट में आग लगने से लोगों की मृत्यु अत्यंत मर्माहत करने करने वाली ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। ।।।।।।।।।।।। जिला द्वारा युद्ध स्तर पर कर कार्य किया जा रहा है तथा हादसे में घायल लोगों को को उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच उपच
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 31, 2023
The fire broke out late in the evening at Ashirwad Tower, a 13-storey building in Joraphatak, a busy area of the city that is about 160 km from the capital Ranchi. About 40 fire trucks were deployed to douse the flames, PTI reported, citing unnamed officials.
Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said eight or 10 people have been rescued. They suffered severe burns, he said.
“The injured will be sent to the Medical College. The rescue work is over. But we don’t have a proper workforce yet. This will be done jointly by the police and fire crews,” he added.
“Our immediate focus was to get the people out. Now we are doing a final combing of the area to make sure no one is left behind,” he added.
Mr Singh, who is supervising the rescue operation along with senior police officers, said it is also not clear how the blaze started. “The locals said there was a puja going on, but this all needs to be confirmed,” he said.
