Three People Hospitalised in Rush to Flee Food Factory Blaze
17th March 2025
Three people were taken to hospital following a ‘stampede’ to escape a huge fire at a food production plant in Rajkot, Gujarat.
The injured trio were among employees who fled the blaze at the Gopal Snacks facility on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024.
Twelve fire crews from neighbouring stations were mobilised to tackle the fire, which broke out at 2pm. A stream of ambulances was also at the scene, with the fire being declared a major incident.
Although the factory was closed for the day, several employees were inside the building when the fire broke out. They managed to make their escape by the time fire crews arrived. A local authority spokesperson at the scene said the fire was ‘massive’. He said flammable materials stored inside the building meant fire crews faced a potentially long battle to extinguish the blaze.
No casualties were reported at the time of the blaze. Despite the fire’s severity, the extent of the damage to the production plant is not known.
Incidents such as this reiterate the need for an urgent review of fire safety procedures and systems employed in commercial and industrial buildings, particularly those containing flammable materials. In the Gopal Snacks facility’s case, the building’s one-day closure meant the fire damage was structural. But the impact will likely have been felt by the company’s owners and their employees. Fire is serious business, whatever the outcome.