Tragic Blaze at Chocolate Factory Near Ahmedabad Leaves Worker Dead, Property Worth Lakhs Gutted

A fire broke out on Friday at the Leamak Company chocolate manufacturing facility on the Ahmedabad-Bavla highway. The blaze started on the third floor, where finished chocolates were processed and packaged, and spread quickly through the unit. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly two hours on Saturday, using roughly one lakh litres of water. Tenders came from Sanand, Bavla and Ahmedabad's Prahladnagar station, and the crews worked together to bring the fire under control. During cooling operations, firefighters found the charred body of a male worker from Madhya Pradesh on the third floor. His identity is being established, and no other casualties were reported in the incident.

The blaze on the third floor

The fire began in the area where finished chocolates were processed and packaged. That part of the factory holds packaging material and finished stock, which can feed a fire once it takes hold. The third floor was the worst affected part of the building. The response brought in tenders from three stations. Sanand, Bavla and Prahladnagar each sent crews, and the operation used roughly one lakh litres of water before the blaze was controlled. The scale of the response shows how seriously the fire was taken.

The worker found during cooling

The worker was found only during cooling operations, after the main fire had been brought under control. He was from Madhya Pradesh, and his identity is being established. No other casualties were reported, which means the rest of the staff escaped or were not in the building. Financial losses are estimated in lakhs of rupees. The fire gutted property on the third floor, including finished stock and packaging, and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Losses in lakhs, probe opened

Authorities have opened an investigation into the factory's fire safety compliance. The probe will look at whether the unit met the required safety norms and what caused the fire to start on the third floor. Factory fires of this kind raise questions that go beyond a single unit. The investigation will matter for other units on the highway and for workers who depend on them for a living.