At least 11 warehouse workers have lost their lives in a devastating off EM Bypass in Kolkata. The workers were asleep inside when the blaze broke out early on Monday, January 26 and they could not escape which led to their death. More casualties in the incident are feared. Meanwhile, families of 17 workers have filed missing report with the police.

The incident raised questions about the operations of renowned food giant ‘Wow Momo’ whose warehouse has been severely damaged in the fire. Questions are being raised whether the fire originated from Wow Momo’s warehouse and whether it abided by fire safety norms.

However, ‘Wow Momo’ authorities claim that the fire did not originate from their warehouse as reported by a section of the media initially. Rather, it originated in an adjacent godown and spread to their warehouse, causing ‘extensive damage’ to the facility.

The fast food giant authorities shared, “The fire has spread out from nearby godown which the forensic and police have already validated. Wow! Momo operated a 12,000 sq ft warehouse at the location, which was used for storing packaging materials, various beverages, and other essential supplies. The warehouse was on a rented premise, and the landlord also owns the larger decorators’ godown from where the fire is believed to have originated.”

“At the time of the incident, two employees were working inside the warehouse, along with a security guard deployed by an outsourced agency. All three lost their lives in the fire,” the company further stated.

“The fire spread rapidly to our warehouse and damaged the fire exit, cutting off a possible escape route,” a representative from the food chain shared.

As per media reports, the warehouse and godown lacked the fire department’s permission in the marshy area of ​​Nazirabad, a remote area near Anandapur on the bypass. Director-general of fire and emergency services, Ranvir Kumar, inspected the site on Tuesday and said neither warehouse had formal fire clearance. “They did not have a fire licence, and there were no fire safety measures,” he told media.

However, Wow Momo authorities deny this allegation. They stated, “The unit was equipped with 23 fire extinguishers and was largely compliant with fire safety norms, with all required approvals in place.”

“We are fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation. Our thoughts are with the deceased, and we have committed to providing full support to their families, both now and in the future,” they added.

Anandapur fire: Who is responsible?

Families of some of the missing persons have lodged a complaint with the Baruipur police. The missing workers have been identified as Sujit Singh, Bimal Maity, Subrata Khara, Nantu Khara, Kartik Jana, Raju Manna, Soumitra Mandal, Buddhadeb Jana, Gurupada Sahoo,Krishnendu Dhara, Biswajit Sahoo, Anup Prasdhan, Basudeb Haldar and Pankaj Haldar.

“More than 20 are reportedly missing in the horrific fire tragedy at Anandapur, with many yet to be identified. Most of the victims were very young and were sole bread earners of their families,” said Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly.

“This is not a mere accident, it is the direct consequence of the Mamata Banerjee government’s chronic negligence, incompetence and utter failure in governance. Lack of administrative checks and balances and scrutiny, lead to disregard for rules and ultimately cause such loss of lives,” the BJP leader alleged.

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