‘Took 12 hours to douse the flame’: Massive fire at Faridabad shoe factory, 21 tenders deployed

2 min readGurgaonJun 19, 2026 01:40 AM IST

Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said an investigation had been launched, also confirming that the blaze was brought under control by early evening.

A suspected short circuit at a shoe manufacturing factory on Thursday morning in Faridabad led to a massive fire, officials said, adding that they managed to completely douse it after 12 hours.

No casualty was reported as workers were not at the unit at the time of the incident, but the fire spread to buildings outside the premises, leading to evacuation.

Officials said that they were informed about the incident — which took place at Guru Kripa Lifestyle at Sector 32 near the Mewala Maharajpur Metro station — around 7.30 am on Thursday. Fire tenders and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) officials from across Haryana reached the spot.

“As many as 21 fire tenders were pressed into service. The flames were put out around 7.30 pm. The firm will now assess the damage in their report,” Fire Safety Officer Rakesh Yadav said at the site.

When The Indian Express visited the spot in the afternoon, the approach road had turned muddy and there were piles of shoes under tin sheds which were completely damaged.

“We deployed 13 tenders from Faridabad, and the rest from Sohna, Palwal, Nuh, Gurgaon and public sector companies like NTPC,” Yadav added.

Fire Safety Officer (Faridabad NIT) Sukhbir Yadav said the tenders has to refilled at least 10 times till afternoon.

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Company officials present at the site said they were yet to ascertain the damage, but termed it “substantial”.

“We think a short circuit triggered it,” a worker said.

The workers were not allowed to go inside the factory as various sheds had collapsed.

“We had to break a brick wall with an excavator so that the hose could reach some of the rooms. Three fire engines will remain here tonight,” fire officials said.

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The fire spread to a medical equipment manufacturing company’s multi-storey office behind the shoe factory. The employees said they had to break the glass windows to get fumes out.

Younger employees, who dragged out computers, files and cartons containing medical equipment, were spotted standing outside in the afternoon.

Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said an investigation had been launched, also confirming that the blaze was brought under control by early evening.

Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.

Education

- Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)

- B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)

Professional Experience

Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.

Reporting Interests

His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.

Recent Coverage (2025)

- Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).

- Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).

- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).

- Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.

- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).

- Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).

Contact

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