Eight killed in South 24 Parganas warehouse fire as blaze continues to smoulder

At least eight people have been killed in a massive fire that broke out at two adjoining warehouses in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, with firefighters still struggling to fully extinguish the blaze more than 24 hours after it began.

The fire erupted at around 3 am on Monday at the twin warehouse units in the Najirabad area on the outskirts of Kolkata. Although the main flames were brought under control after several hours, pockets of fire continued to smoulder across different sections of the gutted structures on Tuesday, officials said.

Twelve fire tenders were deployed to tackle the inferno, which was largely contained after nearly seven hours. However, the continuing fire has hampered rescue and search operations, raising fears that the death toll could increase as several workers are still believed to be trapped inside.

“Charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, but the presence of lingering flames in some areas has slowed further searches,” a fire department official said.

So far, eight bodies have been recovered. Three severely burnt bodies were found during a rescue operation on Monday evening, while five more were discovered later. The victims, as well as those still missing, are believed to be residents of Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts.

Baruipur superintendent of police Shubhendu Kumar said the identities of the deceased could not be established as the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Initially, six workers were reported missing, though family members have claimed that more than 10 people may still be trapped in the ruins.

Fire service officials said DNA samples would be collected from relatives to help identify the victims. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage to the warehouses are yet to be determined.

West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose said on Monday evening that rescue efforts were ongoing, with teams working to extinguish remaining pockets of fire across multiple floors of the buildings.

With PTI inputs