Bhubaneswar, June 19 -- A major fire reduced a mattress manufacturing unit to ashes in Padmapur area of Cuttack, Odisha after a blaze broke out late Thursday night. Firefighters continued efforts to completely extinguish the fire even on Friday morning.

According to preliminary reports, the fire quickly engulfed the factory, where large quantities of mattresses, foam and chemicals used in the manufacturing process were stored. The highly combustible materials allowed the flames to spread rapidly across the unit.

Two teams from the Fire Services rushed to the spot after receiving information about the fire and launched an operation to contain the blaze.

Though a major portion of the fire had been brought under control by Friday morning,...