In the early hours of Monday, at around 3:00 AM, a terrible fire broke out in one of two nearby warehouses located in Najirabad, in Sonarpur’s southern region, and a total of at least eight people were killed and 16 others feared to be trapped or missing. The flames started in a center that contains dry packaged foods, soft drinks and thermocol at around 3 A.M. Because of the highly combustible nature of the finished product, the flames rapidly spread into an adjacent warehouse owned by a decorator company.
Desperate Calls for Help
The workers, locked inside, made frantic distress calls to their families in heartbreaking accounts. Relatives assembled beyond the burned rubble of the buildings, and shared last-mile conversations with family members who heard the victims scream for help and report they were trying to break down walls to escape. “My son-in-law called at 3:00 AM and said ‘save me,’” said one relative who spoke with local media. “We came here right away, but his phone was switched off since that time.”
Rescue Challenges and Casualties
By the time they arrived there, the rescue operation which included over 15 fire engines in total was severely hampered by the warehouses being in a narrow, congested alley. Firefighters were forced to distribute some of their longest hoses to help provide water, which hampered the containment of the fire for a number of hours.
As of Monday evening, agents said:
- 8 bodies recovered: They were severely charred and awaiting DNA testing, were never identified.
- 16 missing: Missing person reports to police are about 16 workers and security guards on night duty.
- 100 residents evacuated: A residential building sitting directly behind the warehouses was evacuated with no injuries to its residents.
Official Investigation
State Power Minister Aroop Biswas and Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose visited the site. While the fire was under investigation, preliminary fears are now that there may have been an electrical short circuit or a cooking activity occurring from inside the premises. At the same time, concerns over safety norms have been cast after local residents alleged that the warehouse main gates were barred from outside and workers could not escape the inferno. As cooling operations continue, the death toll is projected to increase as search teams try to traverse the unstable debris and “hidden fire pockets” in the structures.
