A devastating early-morning fire off EM Bypass claimed the lives of at least 11 warehouse workers, who were asleep inside when the blaze broke out on Monday, leaving them unable to escape.
Police recovered the remains of eight victims on Monday and three more on Tuesday from two adjoining warehouses, and fear more casualties. Families of 17 workers have reported them missing, the police said.
There was little to rescue on Tuesday. The warehouse premises were strewn with human bones and burnt flesh.
The owner of one warehouse, who runs a decorator agency, was detained in East Midnapore and brought to Baruipur for questioning on Tuesday afternoon. Sources said Gangadhar Das was picked up near Khejuri. Das was formally arrested late on Tuesday night.
A formal complaint has been lodged by the fire and emergency services against the owners of the decorator agency and a fast-food chain that occupied the second godown. The complaint was filed at Narendrapur police station, and an FIR has been drawn up. The police have also initiated a suo motu case against the two warehouse owners.
The fire began around 2.30am on Monday in one of the warehouses on Nazirabad Road near Anandapur, not far from the Urbana housing complex. The early-morning flames trapped the men sleeping inside and quickly spread to the adjoining building before any containment could begin.
“Seventeen missing diaries have been registered. More complaints may come. We will move court on Wednesday to seek permission for DNA sampling, after which samples will be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for profiling,” said Baruipur superintendent of police Shubhendra Kumar.
Director-general of fire and emergency services, Ranvir Kumar, inspected the site on Tuesday and said neither warehouse had formal fire clearance. “They did not have a fire licence, and there were no fire safety measures,” he said.
Officials from the fast-food chain refuted the charges and said that their warehouse complied with fire norms. “The unit had 28 fire extinguishers. It is largely fire compliant, with necessary requirements. We are fully cooperating with the investigation,” said a spokesperson for the company.
The warehouses are located on the city’s east, in an area known for sprawling, ecologically sensitive East Kolkata Wetlands. Allegations have emerged that these structures are among hundreds that have sprung up on land once part of the Wetlands.
Sources said the decorator agency owned the entire property and had rented part of it to the fast-food chain. “The 12,000 sq ft warehouse stocked packaging materials, beverages and other goods,” the spokesperson said.
Two employees and a security guard outsourced from another agency were inside at the time of the fire — all three died, the spokesperson said.
A representative of the chain said the fire appeared to originate from the adjacent godown. “The flames leapt quickly to our warehouse, damaging the fire exit and blocking the possible escape route,” he said.
Fire officials said that cooking arrangements near the decorator’s warehouse entrance could have been the seat of the fire, potentially blocking access. The flames had leapt through fibre sheets placed between the two buildings.
Fire minister Sujit Bose and urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim visited the site.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked us to support the victims’ families. The state will provide ₹10 lakh compensation to those issued a death certificate. The bodies recovered have been taken to the forensic lab, and DNA profiling will proceed once court permission is obtained,” Hakim said.