Thane factory fire toll is four

Thane, Sep 22 (IANS) Four workers were charred to death and 14 injured Thursday in a major fire which engulfed a cloth factory in Dombivali town in this Maharashtra district.

The cause of the fire is said to be a burst in a chemical pipe in Pooja Fabrics cloth factory around 4.15 a.m. today, an official of the Dombivali Police Station said.

Police in the evening detained the factory manager Atul Singh and technical manager Pramod Naik.

Twelve fire-tenders rushed to the site and battled the blaze for over eight hours till it was brought under control in the afternoon.

While 18 workers in the night shift were rescued from the blaze, 14 sustained severe injuries. They have been admitted to Shivam Hospital in the town, said the official.

The deceased hailed from north Indian states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

The factory is located in the industrial area run by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, around 70 km to the north-east of Mumbai.