KOLKATA: Six people have gone missing in a deadly fire that broke out in the Najirabad area of the South 24 Parganas district in the early hours of Monday and gutted two warehouses, police said.
Some of those missing had called up their families, saying they were trapped in a fire at the warehouse.
“My son-in-law, Pankaj Halder, called me up and said that there was a fire in the godown where he worked and that he and three others had been trapped. He also said that they were trying to break through a wall to get out. When I tried to call him back, his mobile phone was switched off,” said Alok Naskar, a resident of South 24 Parganas.
Bengal power minister Arup Biswas told reporters after visiting the area that six people were reported missing. “I have spoken with the families. Fire tenders are still working. Until the flames are completely doused and the firefighters go inside, we won’t be able to say what happened,” Biswas said.
Officials said the fire broke out around 3 am in one warehouse and soon spread to the adjacent one. While one was a fast-food chain warehouse, the other belonged to a decorator. Inflammable items were stored in both warehouses, firefighters told reporters.
“Twelve fire tenders were pressed into action. The fire was brought under control by around 1 pm, but efforts to douse the flames in every pocket are still continuing,” a fire department official said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal. “Who will douse the flames? The state government is on leave. It is Republic Day. One person from Moyna in East Midnapore district is also missing,” Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari said.
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