Jaipur: A devastating fire at a scrap warehouse in the Neemrana area claimed four lives, including that of a 7-year-old girl, after a massive blaze and subsequent explosion triggered panic late on Friday evening, said officials on Saturday. 

"All four bodies have been recovered, and a thorough search of the entire area has been completed. The FSL team has also begun its investigation at the site. The exact cause of the fire is being ascertained,” said Satvir Singh, Superintendent of Police, Kotputli-Behror.

The incident occurred at a warehouse located on Bichpuri Road in Mohladia village, where large quantities of scrap material, including empty perfume bottles, were stored.

According to officials, several labourers working inside the premises were trapped when the fire broke out. Four people, including a minor girl, were burned alive, and their bodies were later shifted to a government hospital.

Eyewitnesses reported that the flames quickly spread to an adjoining plastic granule manufacturing unit within the same premises.

A loud explosion in the factory intensified the blaze, sending panic across the area, which lies close to an industrial zone and nearby residential societies. Initial accounts suggest that workers attempted to escape but were unable to do so as a truck parked at the warehouse gate caught fire and blocked the exit. Trapped inside, they tried to scale a boundary wall towards the adjoining unit but failed due to its height, leading to the tragic loss of lives.

Multiple fire tenders from Neemrana, Ghiloth, and the Japanese Zone were rushed to the spot. After nearly two hours of firefighting efforts, the blaze was brought under control.

Teams from the SDRF and forensic experts were also deployed to assist in rescue and investigation operations. Senior officials, including district administration and police authorities, reached the site to oversee relief efforts. Authorities fear that more workers may have been inside at the time of the incident, raising concerns that the death toll could increase.

In fact, locals said that two people remained missing till the date of filing of this report. The identities of the deceased are yet to be confirmed, and DNA sampling will be conducted.

Officials stated that the exact cause of the fire is still unknown. Preliminary findings, however, indicate a lack of adequate firefighting arrangements at the warehouse and factory, which may have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.