Bhiwandi Paper Factory Fire, October 2025: What Happened and What Factories Can Learn

Late on the night of 1 October 2025, a large fire broke out at a paper factory in Bhiwandi, in Maharashtra’s Thane district. Firefighters were still fighting it the next morning. India TV reported that nobody had been hurt, and we found no later report of deaths or injuries. The cause had not been established.

Nobody died this time. Even so, a paper unit in a crowded industrial belt is exactly the kind of place where a fire can get out of hand, and the lessons apply to every godown and small factory in the area.

Date and place

• Date: night of 1 to 2 October 2025. India TV said the fire broke out late on Wednesday night, 1 October.
• Place: Bhiwandi, Thane district, Maharashtra. The published report does not name the factory or give its exact site.
• Type of unit: paper factory, as described by India TV.

What happened

• A large fire broke out inside a paper manufacturing and packaging unit in Bhiwandi.
• Firefighters were still working to bring it under control when India TV reported it on the morning of 2 October.
• India TV reported no injuries or casualties. We found no later report of deaths or injuries.

What we know, and what we don’t

• Paper burns deep. A paper factory holds large amounts of paper and board. It catches quickly and keeps burning deep inside the stacks, where hose streams struggle to reach.
• Cause not established. The first report said the cause was still being looked into.
• Not yet reported: whether the unit had working sprinklers or alarms, enough exits, or a valid fire NOC. The published report does not cover these points, so we do not assume either way. Any inquiry should answer them.
• No first-hand accounts from workers or residents appeared in the published report.

The same night in Mankoli

The same night, at around 11 pm, a separate fire broke out at a paper and cardboard godown at Mankoli in Thane district, a civic official told India TV. No one was reported hurt there either.

Where godowns and small factories stand wall to wall, a fire in one unit quickly puts the units next door at risk. That is why separation between buildings, room for fire tenders to get in and working hydrants matter as much as what happens inside any one unit.

How it could have been prevented

• Fit automatic sprinklers and a hydrant system that cover the whole unit, and keep stacks well below the sprinkler heads.
• Store paper in its own fire-separated area, and keep inks, dyes, solvents and chemicals in a separate fire-rated room.
• Put in heat or smoke detectors linked to an alarm that someone will hear at night.
• Have a licensed electrician check wiring and panels regularly, especially for machines that run on night shifts.
• Name a trained fire warden for every shift and hold evacuation drills.
• Mark escape routes clearly and fix an assembly point outside.
• Get a proper fire audit done, and fix what it finds, not just file it for the insurance company.

If you are caught in a factory fire

1. Raise the alarm at the nearest call point and shout to warn everyone on the floor.
2. Move quickly to the nearest exit without panicking, and stay low under smoke.
3. Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth.
4. Once outside, move away from the smoke. If chemical drums are burning, move crosswind, not downwind.
5. Never go back in for stock or belongings.
6. If you are trapped, shut the door, block the gaps with cloth and signal from a window with a torch or a cloth.
7. Call 101 or 112 and give the factory name and the nearest landmark.
8. Tell the fire brigade straight away about any gas or chemical leak.
9. Go to the assembly point and stay there until everyone has been counted.

Key numbers

• Deaths: none reported (India TV, 2 October 2025)
• Injured: none reported
• Cause: not known when first reported

What needs to change in Bhiwandi

• Industrial clusters like Bhiwandi need a hydrant grid and fire stations sized for the number of units they serve.
• Paper, textile and chemical units should be kept apart by proper zoning, not packed together.
• Factories that handle combustible stock need regular electrical safety checks.
• Local fire brigades need the training and equipment to deal with large stock fires.
• Fire NOCs and compliance certificates should be checked and renewed on time, not issued once and forgotten.
• Industrial fire audit reports should be published so that workers and neighbours can see them.

What you can do today

• If you run or work in a godown or factory, walk through it today and move any stock that blocks an exit or an extinguisher.
• Check that the hydrant pump starts and the extinguisher gauges read in the green.
• Make sure the night watchman knows to call 101 and can give the full address with a landmark.
• Fix a date for a mock drill and hold one every six months.
• Report overloaded power lines or illegal units in residential lanes to the municipal corporation or the fire brigade.

No one was hurt in this fire. That was luck. The next fire in a crowded lane of paper godowns may not be so kind, and the work to prevent it has to start before the night shift, not after it.

More on Mumbai: see our Mumbai fire and emergency safety guide for fire brigade numbers, every fire station and the local risks to know.