Bengal godown fire: 8 dead so far, more feared trapped; TMC minister faces BJP protest at site

KOLKATA: West Bengal Fire Services minister Sujit Bose on Tuesday said a preliminary investigation into the warehouse fire in South 24 Parganas, which killed eight people, found that the units lacked basic safety measures.Bose, who visited the site where the blaze destroyed two warehouses in the early hours of Monday, confirmed that a police case will be filed and a detailed investigation carried out. Speaking to media, Bose said, “I spoke to the Director General of Fire Services. There was no fire extinguishing system, and we need to check if a fire audit had been done. A forensic team will visit the site. An FIR will be lodged, and a full investigation will follow." He added that several people are still missing, while some bodies have already been recovered.Fire Services Director General Ranvir Kumar said the warehouses did not have the necessary clearance from the department and that “clear violations had taken place”. He added that all legal procedures will be followed.The fire broke out around 3 am on Monday and continued to smoulder in parts of the gutted warehouses even after 24 hours. Twelve fire tenders were deployed, and the main blaze was largely controlled after nearly seven hours.“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, but the fire is still burning in some areas, so the toll may rise further,” an official said.During rescue operations on Monday evening, three severely burnt bodies were found, followed by five more later, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight.All the victims and those reported missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas districts.Earlier, Bose faced brief protests from BJP supporters at the site, which led to a minor scuffle with TMC workers.