A suspected blast inside an illegal firecracker storage unit claimed the life of a woman and left another critically injured in Anngarh locality on the outskirts of the city on Thursday afternoon.
According to officials, the fire was triggered by crackers stored illegally in the house, which later led to a powerful explosion. The police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot, carried out rescue operations and managed to douse the flames.
Two women were pulled out of the burning house and shifted to the Civil Hospital with severe burn injuries. One of them, identified as Sumanpreet, succumbed to her injuries, while Gurpreet Kaur remains in critical condition. Both victims were daughter-in-laws of the house owner, Ashok Kumar, who has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Explosives Act, confirmed Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Bhullar stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the crackers were stored without permission or safety measures.
“We received information about a fire around 11.45 am, followed by a loud blast that shattered doors, windows and glass panes. Senior police officials, including Additional Deputy Commissioner Vishaljit Singh, ACP Surinderpal Singh and SHO (Gate Hakima) Manjit Kaur, immediately reached the site,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against those indulging in such illegal practices.
The Anngarh locality has previously been under scrutiny for bootlegging, drug-related activities and alleged illegal firecracker manufacturing units. Local residents claimed that firecrackers were being manufactured inside the house where the explosion occurred.
Kanwaljit Singh, a fireman posted at the Gillwali Gate fire station, said the department received the alert at 11.45 am. “By the time, our team arrived, a tanker from the Amritsar Sewa Samiti, was already engaged in firefighting. Two fire tenders were deployed to bring the blaze under control,” he added.
Authorities have reiterated that no one involved in such hazardous and unlawful activities will be spared, as these pose grave risks to public safety.
