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Accident – death – Obituary News : Six women tragically lost their lives and 10 others sustained severe burns in a devastating fire that erupted after an explosion at an illegal sparkling candle manufacturing unit in the Talawade industrial area of Pune on Friday afternoon.
The victims have been identified as Sangita Andar (28) from Chikhali, Lata Dangekar (40) from Rupeenagar, Kamaladevi Prajapati (65) from Dehugaon, and Radha Godhade (18), Sangita Kharbade (45), and Poonam Mishra (36) from Talawade.
The injured victims were rushed to the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) in Pimpri and later transferred to the burns ward at the Sassoon hospital in Pune. According to the dean of YCMH, Rajendra Wable, two injured individuals were directly taken to Sassoon hospital, while the condition of the remaining six is critical due to burn injuries exceeding 70%.
Dr. Harish Tatiya, assistant professor in forensic medicine and toxicology at BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, revealed that six to seven patients have suffered burns more than 80-90%, with one woman currently on a ventilator.
In response to the tragic incident, CM Eknath Shinde announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. He also assured that the injured victims would receive treatment at the state government’s expense. Deputy Chief Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar further stated that a high-level inquiry would be conducted to hold the responsible parties accountable.
The fire brigade has speculated that the explosion may have been triggered by the presence of inflammable raw materials. PCMC commissioner Shekhar Singh stated that the illegal manufacturing unit was set up in the Red Zone, approximately 1.5 km away from the Dehu Road ammunition factory.
The unit, situated in the compound of an engineering firm in the Talawade industrial area, occupied an area of around 2,000 square feet with a single entrance. Bablu Verma, a worker at the engineering firm, recounted hearing a loud explosion coming from the sparkling candles manufacturing unit at around 2:45 pm. Within seconds, a fire broke out.
Verma witnessed two severely burned women fleeing from the unit, collapsing in front of it. He immediately called for help, and nearby workers and people rushed to the scene. Deepak Borade, a resident of the area, was among the first responders and assisted in sending the injured women to the hospital. Tragically, inside the unit, six charred bodies were discovered.
The Pimpri Chinchwad fire brigade received a distress call regarding the fire at 2:50 pm and dispatched five fire tenders to the location. Due to the narrow road leading to the unit, the firefighters faced difficulties reaching the scene. However, they managed to extinguish the flames within an hour. The structure itself suffered damage as a result of the explosion.
Vinoy Kumar Choubey, the Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner, also arrived at the site and confirmed that six officers were deployed at YCMH for the immediate post-mortem of the deceased individuals.
Abhay Kumar Mishra, a resident of Talawade, rushed to YCMH upon learning about the fire. His wife, Poonam Mishra, worked at the sparkling candles manufacturing unit. Mishra shared that his wife had been employed there for the past two to three months, earning Rs 280 per day for fixing caps on the candles. He expressed his grief, stating that he didn’t know how he would break the news to their children that their mother would not return home.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar expressed his deep sadness and described the incident as tragic and painful. He assured that those responsible would face severe punishment following the high-level inquiry. The government is committed to taking necessary measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
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