Fabric Store Fire Next to a Live Distribution Board
At 14:20 on a Tuesday, a guard on the first floor of a two-storey garment unit in Panipat sees smoke rising from a stack of fabric bales piled against a three-phase distribution board. There is a sharp burning smell and small flames at the base of the bales; the board's cover is missing and one cable is sparking. About 60 workers are on the floor. There is one 1.2 m wide staircase and a rear fire exit that was chained last week "to stop theft". The nearest extinguisher is a 6 kg ABC dry-powder unit 8 m away; a 9-litre water-type extinguisher hangs in the next hall. Machines are running and music is playing, so nobody else has noticed the smoke. The guard's radio battery is dead and his phone is at 12%.
1. What type of fire is this, which extinguisher should he take, and why is the other one dangerous here?
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Two fuels are involved: Class A material (fabric, cardboard, lint) plus live electrical equipment (the sparking cable and open board). The electrical part decides the choice.
- Take the 6 kg ABC dry-powder extinguisher. Dry powder is a non-conductor, works on Class A and B residues, and smothers the flame. CO2 would also be safe but is not available here.
- Do not use the water-type (water-CO2) extinguisher on the board. Water and water-based foam conduct electricity: the jet can arc back to the guard through the nozzle, and the stream can splash onto the live cable and spread burning material. Water is acceptable on the bales only after the supply is confirmed isolated by an authorised electrician.
- Dry powder is messy and can damage machinery, but that is irrelevant when a live board is sparking beside 60 people. Why not just pull the main switch first? Because the guard is not authorised or trained to operate the factory's LT panel, and the board is already damaged. Shout for the electrician, but do not delay the alarm or the first attack waiting for him.
2. Set out the order of actions for the first two minutes, and say when he must stop fire-fighting.
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Order - alarm before extinguisher, always:
- Raise the alarm by shouting 'fire', hitting the nearest manual call point/bell and telling two named workers to phone 101/112. A 12% phone is enough for one call - make it, then conserve battery.
- Stop the line and start evacuation via the staircase; ask supervisors to switch off machines as they leave, close doors behind them (closed doors slow spread), and take the headcount at the assembly point against the attendance register (60 workers).
- Attack only if all three conditions are met: the fire is small and still at the base of the bales, his escape route is behind him and clear, and a second person is with him with the second extinguisher/water backup.
- Use PASS - Pull, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep - staying 2–3 m back and keeping low under the smoke. Stop and leave when: the extinguisher empties or has been discharging about 8–10 seconds with no effect; flames reach the ceiling or the bales; smoke turns thick and black; the heat drives him back; or the fire re-ignites after a lull. Then close the door, evacuate, account for everyone, and never re-enter - a factory floor and its bales are replaceable, and no property is worth a fatality.
3. What should he do about the chained rear exit, and what goes into the report afterwards?
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Immediate: if the fire or smoke threatens the rear side and people are routed that way, the chain must be broken or removed at once - an exit locked during occupancy is the single biggest killer in Indian factory fires, and the guard's duty to life comes before the client's theft worry. Do it in front of a witness and keep the cut chain and padlock. Escalate the same day: report in writing to the security officer and the factory manager that the rear exit was chained on instruction after the last theft incident, and ask for a written direction. A verbal 'chain it' is not a defence after a casualty. In the report: time of detection, exact location (first floor, bale stack against the DB), what he saw and smelled, alarm time, call time to fire brigade, extinguisher type and number used, evacuation and headcount result, the condition of the rear exit and the action taken on the chain, names of the electrician and supervisors informed, and the state of his radio and the missing board cover (a maintenance failure). Write observations and actions, not blame.