8 dead in fire at 2 warehouses in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas; flames still rage, rescue ops underway

Kolkata: A massive fire at two adjoining warehouses in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, which killed at least eight people, is yet to be fully doused over 24 hours later, officials said on Tuesday.

Several workers are feared trapped in the twin units located in Najirabad area on the outskirts of Kolkata, as fire tenders stationed at the site try to put out the blaze that erupted around 3 am on Monday, they said.

Twelve fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought largely under control after nearly seven hours, though pockets of fire continued to smoulder in several parts of the gutted structures, an official said.

“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, though the fire is still raging in pockets, raising fears that the toll may rise further,” he said.

All those dead or missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts, the official said.

Fire department sources said DNA samples will be collected from family members to identify the bodies and skeletal remains recovered from the site.

The cause of the blaze and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained.

During a rescue operation around 5 pm on Monday, three severely charred bodies were recovered from the adjoining godowns, while five more bodies were found later, taking the death toll to eight.

Baruipur SP Shubhendu Kumar had earlier said the identities of the deceased could not be ascertained, as the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

Initially, six people were reported missing, but families of those feared trapped said the number could be more than 10, he said.

West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose had on Monday evening said that rescue operations were continuing and teams working to douse lingering pockets of fire across different floors of the gutted structures.