Kolkata

West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose on Tuesday said that preliminary investigations into the warehouse fire in South 24 Parganas, which claimed eight lives, revealed that the units lacked basic safety measures.

Bose, who visited the site of the blaze that destroyed two warehouses in the early hours of Monday, said a police case would be registered and a detailed inquiry launched. “I spoke with the Director General of Fire Services. There was no fire suppression system installed. We also need to check whether a fire safety audit had been conducted. A forensic team will examine the premises. An FIR will be filed and a thorough investigation will follow,” the minister told reporters.

The minister added that several people were still missing while some bodies had already been recovered. DG of Fire Services Ranvir Kumar said the warehouses had no clearance from the department and that clear violations of safety norms had occurred. “All legal procedures will be carried out according to the law,” he said.

The fire, which broke out around 3 am on Monday, continued to smoulder inside the gutted structures even after 24 hours. Twelve fire tenders were deployed, and the blaze was largely brought under control after nearly seven hours, officials said.

“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, but the fire is still active in some pockets, raising fears that the death toll could rise further,” an official added. During rescue operations on Monday evening, three severely burnt bodies were recovered, and five more were found later, bringing the confirmed toll to eight.

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The victims and missing persons are reported to be from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas districts. Earlier, a brief clash occurred between BJP supporters and TMC workers when Minister Bose arrived at the site.