Society for Bright Future (SBF) has again taken a lead into the rescue operation in the massive fire that broke out in Kanpur’s Basmandi garments market in the early hours of Friday. A team of volunteers of Society for Bright Future rushed to the spot for rescue work. SBF team reached the spot and took stock of the situation. Talks were also held with the fire brigade, civil defense and local people. The SBF team lead by Mohd Rehan (State Convenor, UP East) included Mohd Munsif Ansari (Area Convener), Gufran Ahmed, and Abrar Ali.
As per reports, the fire broke out at AR Tower and quickly spread to adjoining complexes: Masood tower 1, Masood Tower 2, and Hamraz Complex. As many as 800 shops were completely gutted in this massive fire. Fire fighters from adjoining districts were called in to supplement the fire fighting operations as the market was well stocked with garments due to festive season like Eid al Fitr.
According to the team, Hamraz Complex, Masood Complex, AR Tower, Nafees Complex have been gutted in which hundreds of wholesale clothing shops and godowns besides some stationery shops have also been gutted.
Army, Air Force, Police and Fire Brigade personnel have been deployed in this rescue operation. More than 50 fire brigade vehicles from many nearby districts including Kanpur, Unnao, Lucknow are engaged in extinguishing the fire. The fire in the wholesale market could not be extinguished even after 21 hours. The fire in the ground floor is not yet extinguished. According to the information, the fire first started in the goods kept outside the shops in AR Tower. Due to strong winds, the fire engulfed many shops in a moment. After this, the entire three-story tower started blazing. The fire then spread to Hamraz Complex, Nafees Tower, Masood Complex and Super Hamraz Complex.
