Kandla SEZ Fire, Gandhidham: Two Garment Units Burn for Hours, Five Fire Teams Called, No Casualties Reported; Cause and Loss Not Established

What happened

A fire broke out at two companies inside the Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) at Gandhidham, in Kutch district, Gujarat, on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Mid-day, citing IANS, puts the start at 11 am. ANI’s statement, as carried by The News Mill, says two fire brigade teams were at the scene and further details were awaited. Mid-day adds that garments worth crores of rupees were reportedly destroyed. Aaj Tak says there was no report of anyone hurt, and Dainik Jagran writes of flames and black smoke that alarmed the area.

A fuller account comes from Divya Bhaskar, a Gujarati daily with a Gandhidham desk. It says the fire was in the units it names as Tex Polymers and Lotus, that five fire teams came, from Kandla Timber, the Gandhidham Municipal Corporation, IFFCO, KASEZ and Welspun, that the fire was still not under control four hours on, and that no casualties had been reported so far. Its fire-team in-charge is quoted as saying the fire had not been brought under control. Goods and machinery are suspected to have burnt, the loss is not yet known, and a short circuit is the initial guess. Checked on 3 November 2026; we found no report after 29 October that gives a cause, a loss figure or the time the fire was put out.

Where the reports agree, and where they do not

• Casualties: Aaj Tak and Divya Bhaskar say none reported; ANI, mid-day and Dainik Jagran do not mention any. That is an absence of reports, not a confirmation.
• Time: Mid-day (IANS) says 11 am. Divya Bhaskar’s text says the fire broke out around three o’clock, but its own headline says the fire was still not under control after four hours, which fits an 11 am start. YouTube news uploads began around 12 noon IST. We use 11 am as reported by mid-day and note the difference.
• What the units make: mid-day says garment companies and garments worth crores. Aaj Tak and ANI say only “two companies”. A video report from India News Gujarat describes two garment companies. An ANI report in April 2026 about a fire in the same zone calls a unit there a used-clothing facility. We say two textile or garment units and do not claim more.
• Names: Divya Bhaskar names the units as Tex Polymers and Lotus; a video description spells them differently. We have not confirmed the names with the companies or the zone authority, so please treat them as unconfirmed.
• Fire teams: two in the first ANI and IANS reports; five in Divya Bhaskar’s later report. These are likely the same fire at different hours, and we show both numbers.
• Loss: “crores” in mid-day only; Divya Bhaskar says no loss estimate was out. We do not give a figure.

What is not known

• When the fire was finally put out, and how many hours it burned.
• What started it. A short circuit is an initial estimate in one report only; no inspection finding has been published.
• The value of the loss, how much stock and machinery burnt, and whether the fire spread beyond the two units.
• Whether anyone was inside at the time, and whether the units had fire NOCs, sprinklers or working hydrants. None of the reports say.

A zone where fires keep being reported

The Kandla zone has appeared in the news for fires before. On 4 April 2026, ANI reported a massive fire at a used-clothing facility in the same zone; four fire brigade teams from the zone, the municipal corporation and the port authority brought it under control, and the report said a major disaster had been averted. That report names the unit Tex Polymer (and also says Texwool), so it may be the same company Divya Bhaskar names on 29 October, but we have not confirmed this and do not claim a repeat. What we can say is that textile and used-clothing stock appears again in fires in this zone, and that is a fair question to ask for any such site: fabric is a high fire load, it burns fast and gives off heavy black smoke.

What this teaches factories that store cloth and garments

Bales of fabric, cartons of garments and packing material sit tightly packed to the roof in many Indian units. If there is no gap between stacks, no sprinkler and a long way to a hydrant, a short circuit near the stock becomes a fire that takes five teams and more than four hours, as Divya Bhaskar describes. Our case study on the Parle-G factory fire at Jabalpur, where stock and machines were lost with no casualties, and on the Shyam Sangini textile market fire in Surat show how such fires go. Our guide on fire risk in Indian warehouses and the guide on factory fire exits, locked gates and blocked stairs set out what should be in place.

• Keep stock below the sprinkler line and away from wiring. Leave aisles and a clear gap under the roof so water and firefighters can reach the stock. Do not stack against switchboards or light fittings.
• Check the electrics. A licensed electrician should test the panels, cables and load before the busy season; look for warm plugs, a burning smell or repeated tripping, as set out in Can a short circuit cause a fire?.
• Test the alarm, hydrants and pumps, and make sure the zone’s fire team, the municipal corporation and neighbouring plants know the way in and the water points.
• Keep every exit open and unlocked, and count heads at an assembly point outside the gate. Night and shift changes need the same plan.
• Do not go back in for stock or machines. Cloth fires fill a shed with smoke quickly; leave the firefighting to the teams.
• Call 101 or 112 at once and name the zone, the gate and the unit. Our emergency numbers guide and fire brigade number guide explain which number to dial.
• Know the papers. The fire NOC process and renewal are explained in this guide.

Live or work in Gandhidham or Kandla? Our Gandhidham safety guide lists the emergency numbers, the fire stations and the main earthquake, cyclone and industrial fire risks.

There is no earlier case study from Gandhidham or Kandla on our site. A related case from another special economic zone is the boiler explosion at Sri City SEZ.