In the early hours of Monday, 26 January 2026, a devastating fire tore through a warehouse complex in the Nazirabad area of Anandapur, Kolkata, claiming at least seven lives and leaving 21 workers missing.
The blaze erupted around 2:30 AM at a facility housing a decorators’ unit and a factory for a popular momo food chain, where many migrant workers from Midnapore were sleeping.
While seven charred bodies beyond visual recognition have been recovered, the search continues through smouldering debris for the 21 individuals still unaccounted for.
Migrant Workers Trapped
The warehouse complex, located within the jurisdiction of the Narendrapur police station, served as a high-density hub for dry food storage and catering materials.
These facilities often operate with overnight shifts, and on the night of the tragedy, approximately 25 people were staying in the decorators’ unit while three others were in the momo factory.
The presence of highly flammable materials like thermocol, plastic bottles, and dry packaged snacks turned the structure into an inferno within minutes.
The facility’s location in a narrow alleyway severely hindered emergency efforts, forcing firefighters to lay long pipelines to reach the flames, a delay that proved catastrophic for those trapped inside.
Allegations Of Negligence
Harrowing accounts have emerged of trapped workers making final phone calls to their families as the fire spread. One victim reportedly called his wife at 3 AM to say goodbye, a chilling testament to the lack of exit options.
Political leaders have also traded barbs, with BJP MLA Ashok Dinda alleging that the unit was illegal and lacked even basic fire alarms, while Fire Minister Sujit Bose questioned why such a large number of people were permitted to reside inside a commercial warehouse overnight.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that the recurring nature of these industrial “accidents” is a systemic failure to value human life over commercial convenience. The allegation that workers were locked inside their workplace is not just a safety violation; it is a profound breach of human dignity and rights.
We stand in solidarity with the migrant families of Midnapore who have lost their breadwinners and advocate for a future where labour safety audits are transparent and strictly enforced. Empathy must lead our industrial development, ensuring that no worker’s life is sacrificed to negligence or corruption.
