West Bengal Warehouse Fire Investigation Uncovers Critical Safety Lapses
West Bengal Fire Services minister Sujit Bose announced on Tuesday that a preliminary investigation into the devastating warehouse fire in South 24 Parganas district, which claimed eight lives, has revealed the complete absence of basic safety measures at the site. The tragic incident has prompted immediate legal action and a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the blaze.
Minister Confirms Legal Action Following Site Visit
Minister Sujit Bose, who personally visited the site where two warehouses were destroyed in the early hours of Monday, confirmed that a police case will be formally filed and a detailed investigation will be conducted. Speaking to media representatives, Bose provided crucial insights into the preliminary findings.
"I spoke to the Director General of Fire Services," Bose stated. "There was no fire extinguishing system installed at the warehouses, and we need to verify whether any fire safety audit had ever been conducted at these premises."
The minister further revealed that a forensic team will be dispatched to examine the site thoroughly. "An FIR will be lodged, and a full investigation will follow to determine all contributing factors," he emphasized, adding that several individuals remain unaccounted for while some bodies have already been recovered from the debris.
Fire Services Director General Highlights Regulatory Violations
Fire Services Director General Ranvir Kumar provided additional disturbing details about the regulatory failures. He confirmed that the warehouses in question did not possess the necessary clearance certificates from the fire department, indicating serious compliance issues.
"Clear violations had taken place regarding fire safety regulations," Kumar asserted. "All legal procedures will be strictly followed to ensure accountability for these lapses that have resulted in tragic loss of life."
Chronology of the Devastating Fire Incident
The catastrophic fire broke out around 3 am on Monday and continued to smolder in sections of the gutted warehouses even after twenty-four hours. Firefighting authorities deployed twelve fire tenders to combat the flames, with the main blaze being largely controlled after nearly seven hours of intense efforts.
An official involved in the operations provided a grim update: "Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, but the fire is still burning in some areas, so the death toll may unfortunately rise further."
During rescue operations conducted on Monday evening, emergency personnel discovered three severely burnt bodies initially, followed by five additional victims later, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight individuals. All confirmed victims and those reported missing hail from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas districts.
Political Tensions Surface at Disaster Site
The tragedy also witnessed brief political tensions when Minister Bose faced protests from BJP supporters during his site visit. The confrontation escalated into a minor scuffle between BJP and TMC workers, highlighting the charged political atmosphere surrounding the disaster response.
This warehouse fire tragedy has raised serious questions about fire safety compliance in industrial and storage facilities across West Bengal. The investigation now underway seeks to not only determine the specific causes of this incident but also to identify systemic failures that allowed such hazardous conditions to persist without regulatory intervention.
