Kolkata, Jan 27 : Thirty-two hours have passed and there are still pocket fires in the twin warehouses of Anandapur in east Kolkata. The death toll has risen to eight and several people are still missing. Director General of the Fire Department revealed that the warehouse didn't have adequate fire safety measures and was operating without the fire department's authorisation.

Almost 32 hours after the incident, state fire minister Sujit Bose visited the site on Tuesday morning.

BJP MLA Ashok Dinda from Moyna in East Midnapore district and local BJP workers and supporters also went there at the same time. Sujit Bose faced protests from the BJP workers for arriving at the scene 32 hours after the incident.

A fire broke out at a momo company's warehouse in Nazirabad, Anandapur, around 3 am on Monday morning. The fire quickly spread to two adjacent warehouses. Despite extensive efforts using 12 fire engines, the fire could not be extinguished even by Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, it was observed that there were pocket fires in several places inside the charred warehouses and black smoke was rising from within the debris. So far, eight deaths have been confirmed. The bodies are so badly burnt that identification is impossible. The remains have been sent for forensic examination.

According to the police, at least 14 people are still missing. Investigations are underway to determine if anyone is still trapped inside.

Police sources said that action will definitely be taken against the authorities of the factory where the incident occurred, if they are found guilty.

On Tuesday morning, Director General of the Fire Department, Ranveer Kumar, visited the site. He said that the fire department had not issued any clearance certificate for the warehouse regarding its fire safety measures.

The DG also mentioned that a complaint has been filed in this regard. When asked how the warehouse had been operating for so long without authorisation, the DG said, "There might have been some lapse on the part of the department. The matter will be investigated."

On Tuesday, Minister Sujit Bose reached the scene at around 11:30 am and inspected the two gutted warehouses and spoke with fire service personnel and officials.

The Trinamool leader also met with the bereaved families. He said, "This place was like a tinderbox. Spread across 35,000 square feet, this area housed a momo manufacturing factory and a decorator's warehouse side by side. There were a lot of flammable materials inside. Significant damage has been caused. Upon receiving the news, 12 fire engines were dispatched. Senior fire service officials also arrived at the scene."

The minister also said that the warehouses lacked adequate fire safety measures. He added that swift legal action would be taken in this regard. Sujit also said that an investigation would be conducted to determine whether a fire audit had been carried out at the warehouses.

BJP MLA Ashok also visited the scene on Tuesday morning. BJP supporters surrounded Sujit Bose and chanted 'go back' slogans. Trinamool supporters retaliated and a scuffle ensued between the two sides. However, the situation was later brought under control.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari slammed the state government over the fire incident.

"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 & balances and scrutiny, lead to disregard for rules and ultimately cause such loss of lives," said Adhikari in a social media post.

"In Nazirabad; Anandapur, this man-made tragedy struck in an area of the East Kolkata Wetlands, where land have been converted illegally and illegitimate industrial units mushroomed in the last few years, which operate unchecked without following any norms.

"People were trapped inside the locked warehouses filled with inflammable materials, with no escape routes, narrow lanes blocking rescue, and zero fire safety measures," said the BJP leader.

Adhikari also took a dig at Sujit Bose for turning up at the fire site so late.

"The Fire Minister Sujit Bose, who arrived after more than 30 hours (his home is barely an hour's drive from the area of incident) shamelessly asks why were people staying in warehouses !!!

"Shame on him, rather than asking, his Administration should answer such questions. The blame lies squarely with Mamata Banerjee Govt's apathy, corruption, and mismanagement. From AMRI Hospital to Burrabazar, and now Anandapur, one tragedy after another, yet no lessons learned, no accountability taken," he said.

Adhikari further demanded an "immediate high-level and impartial enquiry, strict punishment for the guilty, and adequate compensation for the affected families".

/IANS