The burnt house in Mahishadal. Picture by Jahangir Badsa

Tamluk, Feb. 9: A firecracker maker and two in his family died when explosives stocked in his house blew up, ripping apart the roof of the two-storey building where he at work in violation of safety rules.

Manindra Ghorai, 66, had lost his right leg 15 years ago in another explosion, but he continued manufacturing firecrackers. Around 9.30 this morning, neighbours heard a loud explosion from Manindra’s house in Chingurmari village and rushed there.

The roof of the house was blown off in the explosion. Manindra was making firecrackers in his ground-floor room with his nephew Trilochan, 45. Manindra’s granddaughter-in-law Supriya was doing puja on the first floor.

Police accounts said that as the blast blew the roof, Supriya fell to the ground floor and straight into the fire.

Fire brigade personnel and the police recovered the charred bodies of Manindra and Supriya, 19, after about three hours of fire fighting.

Nephew Trilochan, who was helping Manindra suffered 80 per cent burns. He died later in a hospital.

The police said there were about 20 families in Chingurmari, about 120km from Calcutta, who earned manufactured firecrackers for a living. Half of them had no licence.

“Manindra Ghorai had a licence but he did not follow safety rules. He should have had his workshop in an open space but Manindra was making the firecrackers in his two-storey house,” a police officer said.

Manindra’s son Madan Mohan said: “I told my father several times to stop making firecrackers. It is dangerous. He lost his right leg in an explosion 15 years ago. But he would not heed our advice as he loved making firecrackers.”

Additional superintendent of police Dhrubajyoti Dey said a probe had been ordered. “He (Manindra) had a licence to make firecrackers. But we are investigating what kind of explosives he was making and why he had stockpiled a huge quantities of raw material.”

At the time of the blast, Manindra’s wife Manu, 60, and grandson, Indrajit, 25, were working on their small plot where they grow vegetables.

Villagers said Manindra’s room was always filled with gunpowder and aluminium and iron dust. Also, there were sparkles and rockets that are lit during Diwali.

“Around 9.30am, we heard a loud explosion and we rushed to Manindra’s house. We saw it was ablaze and the bamboo structure holding the tiles also on fire. The explosion had blown off the roof,” said neighbour Uttam Samanta.

Villagers informed the fire brigade in Haldia, about 35km away. Before it could arrive, a pump used for irrigation was brought to spray water on the house. A fire engine arrived from Haldia around 11am but could not reach the house because there is no motorable road nearby. This delayed the rescue further.

The blaze was brought under control around noon after fire fighters reached the spot on foot and rescued Trilochan.