Ludhiana: Two or three explosions rang out from a narrow lane in Field Ganj on Friday afternoon, and a man who had gone upstairs minutes earlier did not come back down.
Sahil Sabarwal, 26, died after a fire broke out in a two-storey building in Gali Number 10 at around 1.30 pm. The building houses a clothing business, Pulkit Fashion, on its lower floors. Fire officials said crackers were stored on the upper floor, which intensified the explosions and made firefighting harder.
According to the police, the stock was kept in a room adjoining a kitchen on the second floor. Sahil was inside when a wall gave way and he was trapped under the debris.
His uncle, Goldy Sabarwal, a local AAP leader, said Sahil had gone upstairs after a fluctuation in the electricity supply and had barely reached the floor when the first blast took place. He said crackers left over from the previous year's stock were kept in the building and that he suspected a short circuit in an inverter started the fire.
Residents of the lane said crackers had been stored in a residential and commercial area, and questioned how the quantity kept there had been allowed.
Fire official Dinesh Verma said the narrow approach to the building was the main obstacle. Firefighters had to carry water pipes deep into the street to reach the structure, and it took nearly three hours to bring the fire under control.
Parts of the building collapsed during the operation, and an air-conditioner exploded as the flames spread, officials said. Shops in the adjoining Gali Numbers 9, 10 and 11, and in the nearby Kucha Gali area, were shut as a precaution because the fire threatened to reach neighbouring premises.
The stretch is known for its clothing trade, and Friday's crowd made access worse, officials said.
Police have cordoned off the area and registered a case. The exact cause of the blaze has not been established, and officers said they are examining whether safety rules on the storage of firecrackers were violated.
Sahil's body was sent for post-mortem examination. The family's account of what happened upstairs is yet to be recorded formally in the investigation.
By evening, Field Ganj was back to clearing debris. The lane where the shop stands is barely wide enough for a fire tender.