Kolkata, Jan 29 : The death toll in the Anandapur warehouse fire on the southern outskirts of Kolkata reached 23 on Thursday with over 25 people still missing, sources said. Meanwhile, the fire department and forensic team have submitted their preliminary report on the incident. The report states that the fire did not originate from the Wow Momo factory, but from the adjacent ill-fated Pushpanjali decorator's warehouse.

Although the Pushpanjali warehouse owner, Gangadhar Das, who was arrested after the incident, claimed that the fire first spread from the momo factory, the forensic and fire department reports suggest otherwise.

On Monday, around 3 am, residents of the Anandapur area spotted towering flames engulfing the momo factory and the adjacent Pushpanjali warehouse.

Twelve fire engines worked tirelessly for nearly two days to bring the fire at the factory and warehouse completely under control. Following the incident, the fire department filed a complaint with the local police and an investigation was launched.

Along with the fire department, forensic experts also began investigating the cause and origin of the fire. Officials collected multiple samples from the scene. Four days after the incident, a preliminary joint investigation report was submitted to the police.

Sources said, the report states that the fire first broke out on the third floor of the decorator's warehouse. It then spread everywhere, even reaching the adjacent momo factory.

The report also states that the momo factory and warehouse together occupied an area of â??â??approximately 35,000 square feet. Of this, the momo factory occupied 8,000 square feet.

The report further states that the arrested individual, Gangadhar, used the remaining space for his decorator business. According to sources, although the preliminary report has been submitted, forensic experts may be called in again if necessary.

Meanwhile, work is going on to clear the debris of the two factories that were gutted by fire. Large pieces of collapsed iron structures are being removed using gas cutters and cranes. The search for human remains is also continuing amidst this process.

According to sources, the death toll reached 23 on Thursday afternoon. At the same time, more than 25 people are still missing and search is on to trace them.

/IANS