Massive fire destroys Nova’s 2.5-acre facility in Faridabad

According to eyewitnesses, the fire was so severe (due to the availability of combustible material within the facility) and it spread so quickly that by the time the firefighters reached the site, the blaze had engulfed the 2.5-acre facility completely. According to eyewitnesses, by the end of it, even the concrete building turned to rubble.

Fire brigade sources suspect that a short circuit caused the fire at the packaging and commercial print production firm at around 3:45 am on 10 April. The workers present on the floor immediately tried to douse the fire, but due to the presence of paper and chemicals in the building, the blaze soon went out of control.

Eyewitnesses said that more than 100 water tankers were put into service and it took the fire brigade more than five hours to gain control of the situation. However, the fire was so enormous and damage was so massive that when PrintWeek India visited the site in the afternoon, the fire was still smouldering, with ashes and smoke darkening the area in Sector 59 in Faridabad.

While it is too early to estimate the exact amount of the damage, industry sources said the loss would be to the tune of Rs 100 crore.

“It took a few hours to control the fire. I am happy that we could save all our people. Since this happened today, we are yet to calculate the loss,” Harish Jain of Nova Publication told PrintWeek India before hurrying off to a meeting. 

Nova Publication and Printers is a sister concern of Jaladhar-based Evergreen Publications. Aman Chopra, the third generation of family-owned business, heads the Faridabad unit. He is responsible for leading the exploration, expansion, development, and management of business opportunities with corporate and strategic partners. An ISO-9001:2008, ISO-14001:2007, OHSAS-2008, FSC, SMETA/Prelims and BSCI social audit accredited company, Nova prints educational books, mono cartons, packaging boxes, commercial jobs, stationery items and also manufactures corrugated boxes.

Around 1,200 workers serve the company in two shifts.

According to sources, the production was not in full swing on Saturday night. Otherwise, there could have been casualties. There were around 100 workers on the shopfloor. When the fire broke out at one part of the facility, the workers tried their best to douse the fire. As the blaze increased, however, panic spread among them and they started to run out of the facility helter-skelter. The workers on the ground floor could leave easily, but those on the upper floors were caught in the fire. While some of them managed to get out using the stairs, in panic, most broke the windowpanes and climbed down from the windows. As a result, four employees were injured and were admitted to the hospital.

Meanwhile, according to a report published in Navbharat Times, one of the employees was reported missing.

According to fire brigade sources, the fire spread very quickly and violently because of the large amount of easily flammable materials available. This was the reason why the firefighters found it difficult to gain control of the situation quickly. Due to ink and chemicals, the building was shrouded in smoke and it made the work of the firefighters difficult.

The fire was so massive that when the local firefighters could not control the damage, more vehicles from Palwal and other areas were pressed into service.