Kolkata, 27 Jan

West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose on Tuesday said preliminary investigation into a warehouse blaze, which killed eight people in South 24 Parganas district, has revealed that the units lacked basic safety arrangements.

Bose, who inspected the site where a blaze ripped through two warehouses in the early hours of Monday, said a police case will be lodged in connection with the incident and a thorough inquiry will be conducted.

“I spoke to the director general (fire services). There was no fire extinguishing system in place. We also need to see whether a fire audit was conducted. A forensic team will visit the spot. An FIR will be lodged and a full investigation will follow,” the minister told reporters here.

Bose said several people were still missing following the blaze, while some bodies had been recovered from the site.

Director General of Fire Services, Ranvir Kumar, said the warehouses lacked clearance from the department, and that “clear violations had taken place”.

“All legal procedures will be followed as per law,” he said.

The blaze erupted around 3am on Monday, and it was still raging after 24 hours, with pockets of fire continuing to smoulder inside the gutted structures, officials said.

Twelve fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was largely brought under controlafter nearly seven hours, they said.

“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, though the fire is still raging in pockets, raising fears that the toll may rise further,” an official said.

During a rescue operation around 5pm on Monday, three severely charred bodies were recovered, while five more were found later, bringing the toll to eight.

All the deceased and those reported missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts, he said.

Earlier, some BJP supporters protested when Bose arrived at the site, leading to a brief altercation with TMC workers.