Mangalore: Fire in Heat Chamber of Beedi Factory; Loss Put at Rs 20 Lac
Pics: Dayananda Kukkaje 
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN) 

Mangalore, Feb. 21:  The heating portion of a beedi factory near Ullal caught fire this evening causing loss of approximately  Rs 20 lac.

The fire started in the heating chamber where charcoal was used to heat the beedis. Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained it is believed that the beedis which were being heated might have burned due to overheating leading to the fire which leaped up to the roof.

Fortunately, except for the heating chamber and the roof, the fire did not damage other parts of the factory.  

The incident happened in a factory owned by Parbu Das Kishor Das Tobacco Products  Private Limited.  

The fire was brought under control by the fire brigade with the help of locals. On seeing the flames from the factory, the locals acted quickly by disconnecting the electricity and taking out a lot of valuables. They then began dousing the fire with water. 

“At 7.30 this evening,  smoke started pouring out and  within a few minutes the fire  came out  through roof,” said Razak, a local. He said that the crowd that had gathered, then called in the fire brigade. 

The heat chamber and instruments have been burned in the fire, including the heat plates. These are all valuable things, said a representative of the management. 

The beedis would be packed after being heated and then sent to Gujarat. Though the loss has been estimated to be around Rs 20 lac, this amount might increase when the damage is examined in detail.  

As the incident happened after all the employees had left for the day, no injuries were reported.