A huge fire broke out at a cashew factory in Labanyagada, which comes under the Gosani block of Odisha's Gajapati district, on Monday evening, leaving the building in ashes. The accident happened while Diwali was being celebrated, and soon the fire engulfed everything until the factory was reduced to rubble.
It has been reported that the fire had erupted late at night and had intensified rapidly owing to the presence of plenty of dry cashew skins, which acted as fuel for the fire. The team of the Paralakhemundi Fire Department hastened to the location and commenced round-the-clock efforts to establish control over the situation.
The fire was so intense that officials were initially not able to venture into the building to put out the fire. A section of the wall had to be torn down to facilitate the firefighting operations.
Local villagers reportedly noticed the fire and alerted the Paralakhemundi Fire Services Department around midnight. Following the alert, fire personnel reached the site and managed to bring down the intensity of the blaze, although it had not been completely put out at the time of reporting.
No reports have emerged to suggest that any factory employees or workers were present during the incident. The factory owner and local police later arrived on the site to assess the situation. Officials stated that the total extent of property damage and loss will be determined once the fire is fully extinguished. It is suspected that the fire was due to a short circuit, though the exact reason is yet to be ascertained.
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