Amritsar:
A massive fire broke out at Khanna Paper Mill, one of the largest in the country, in Amritsar last night.
Over 25 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames at the mill, which is 15 kilometres away from the International Rajasansi Airport near the city. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said the services of the Army have also been requisitioned to control the blaze. 70% of the fire was brought under control by 3 pm today. Sources however say it may take some more time to douse the inferno completely.
The Deputy Commissioner said, "Our priority is to get control over the fire at the earliest possible, for this the state government has also been informed, since the intensity of fire is becoming higher with the each passing moment."
The exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet. But at least 70,000 tonnes of paper were reported lying at the mill when the fire broke out. The fire has caused damages running into crores of rupees. Fortunately, there have been no injuries or casualties.
Khanna Paper Mill is a leading paper manufacturer which supplies newsprint to major newspapers in the region. The mill is India's first exporter of news print to Pakistan.