At least 10 persons were injured when a fire broke out at a firecracker factory at Sonarpur’s Gobindapur bypass in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Sunday afternoon.
Three explosions were heard as the fire engulfed the factory as three fire tenders rushed in to douse the flames.
All injured persons are reportedly workers of the factory. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The police detained one employee. The owner of the factory, who was absconding, was detained after a brief hunt.
“This was a small factory with only a tin shed and small walls on four sides. There were some finished and unfinished firecrackers at the factory. So far, six persons were injured in the mishap. They have been sent to a nearby hospital,” a fire department official said.
The fire was brought under control.
The police said that they are questioning the owner and trying to find out what caused the fire.
The incident comes just days after a major fire broke out in the pharmacy department of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital early. At least 250 patients were evacuated and were shifted to other state-run hospitals.
No one was injured in the blaze that broke out at 8 am on 3 October in the dispensary located on the ground floor. Ten fire tenders were engaged for taming the fire.
On 17 September, a fire broke out in Kolkata’s Bhawanipur area in a godown of a sweet shop at around 3 pm.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed the top floor of a building in Jadubabu’s Bazar engulfed in flames. The thick cloud of smoke could be seen from about a kilometre away.
Fire fighters rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control.
Read More: Fire breaks out in sweet shop in Kolkata’s Bhawanipur
But one of the biggest fire incidents was the massive Bagree Market fire in Burrabazar area. It took two whole days for the fire fighters to control the blaze that started in the business hub of Kolkata on 16 September.
Read More: Two days on, Bagree Market fire finally brought under control
No one was injured, but the fire caused huge losses to traders ahead of Durga Puja.