A destructive fire demolished two connected warehouses which were located in the Nazirabad region of Anandapur in Kolkata during the early morning hours of Monday. The fire started at 3 AM when it erupted in a storage facility which Pushpanjali Decorators operated and then rapidly spread to the adjacent storage area which a well known food chain leased to store hazardous materials. The families of missing people which included many migrant workers from East and West Midnapore districts have been left in distress because rescue teams continue to search through the burning remnants and unstable buildings.
Why Is Wow! Momos Under Scrutiny Over Anandapur Fire In Kolkata?
The fire started on Monday at a manufacturing facility located near Ruby Crossing in the Nazirabad district of Anandpur. The fire spread rapidly because highly combustible materials were present at the location which required firefighters and rescue teams and police officers to establish an exclusion zone. The initial reports indicated that the fire started from the Wow! Momos warehouse but the company later denied this assertion. Wow! Momos issued a statement to explain that the fire started in an adjacent godown instead of its warehouse. The company stated that ‘the fire spread from a nearby godown which forensic and police investigations have already validated’. The location operated by Wow! Momos served as a 12000 square foot warehouse which functioned as a storage facility for packaging materials and beverages and essential supplies. The premises were rented, and the landlord also owns the larger decorators’ godown from where the fire is believed to have originated. three people inside their warehouse at the time of the incident lost their lives according to the company. The statement explained that two employees worked inside the warehouse together with a security guard who belonged to an outsourced agency. All three died in the fire according to the statement.
Anandapur Fire Kills 11 In Kolkata
Authorities and emergency responders have attributed the scale of the tragedy to serious lapses in fire safety protocols and regulatory oversight. Fire and police officials discovered that both warehouses operated without essential fire safety approvals because they did not possess necessary firefighting equipment and emergency exits and complete safety inspections which prevented people from escaping and rescuers from their mission. Fire Minister Sujit Bose visited the site and confirmed that neither unit met basic safety requirements and legal action will proceed against the owners for their negligence. The warehouse lessee claimed they followed fire safety regulations and had fire extinguishers on their premises but investigators are currently reviewing whether proper audits took place and if necessary clearances were obtained.
