Two killed in blaze at firecracker warehouse in West Bengal

Two persons died in a fire at a warehouse where firecrackers were illegally stored, at English Bazar town in West Bengal’s Malda district. The fire was triggered by an explosion early in the morning.

Two persons died in a fire at a warehouse where firecrackers were illegally stored, at English Bazar town in West Bengal’s Malda district. The fire was triggered by an explosion early in the morning.

With this, 16 people have died in the past one week in explosions and fire in illegal firecracker units or godowns in the State.

It was on May 21 that three women of a family were killed in an explosion and fire at a firecracker warehouse under the Budge Budge police station in South 24 Parganas district. On May 16, an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit at Khadikul village in Purba Medinipur claimed 11 lives. Majority of the victims were women working at the unit. Villagers had alleged that crude bombs were being made at the unit.

Speaking on the incident at English Bazar, Trinamool Congress leader and chairperson of the English Bazar municipality, Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, said the fire had spread to other shops as well. Mr. Chowdhury said a labourer and a security guard died in the fire, which started in the morning and raged till afternoon.

On Monday, the West Bengal Cabinet announced the setting up of a committee headed by the State’s Chief Secretary to look into illegal firecracker manufacturing units. The committee is to submit its report in two months.

Over the past few days, huge quantities of firecrackers and raw materials used for making firecrackers as well as crude bombs have been recovered by the police from different parts of the State. In certain parts, the police made announcements on the streets urging people to hand over firecrackers if they had stored them.

On May 22, residents reported a crude bomb explosion at Ghorapara village in Birbhum district. One person was arrested in connection with the incident.