Kolkata: Police on Friday took into custody two senior officials of Wow! Momo after a devastating warehouse fire in the Anandapur area of South 24 Parganas claimed at least 25 lives. The blaze, which erupted in the early hours of Monday, tore through two adjoining godowns and left only three workers alive.

According to Kolkata Police, manager Raja Chakraborty and deputy manager Manoranjan Sheet were arrested as part of the investigation into the incident. Both were overseeing operations at the Wow! Momo storage facility that was engulfed when flames spread from a neighbouring unit. 

Fire started in Decorators’ godown

The fire began around 3 am in a warehouse owned by Pushpanjali Decorators before rapidly extending to the adjacent Wow! Momo godown. Both structures reportedly stored flammable materials, intensifying the blaze and making escape almost impossible for the dozens of labourers sleeping inside.

Local residents said only three of the roughly 37 workers present in the two facilities managed to escape. All but those three had been working in the Pushpanjali Decorators unit. Many of the victims were migrant workers from nearby districts who lived on site.

Company maintains fire compliance

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for Wow! Momo said their Nazirabad warehouse, operational for the past three years, had followed mandatory fire safety rules.

“Twenty-eight fire extinguishers were installed inside the warehouse. The godown that belongs to the decorator’s company did not have any compliance and the fire spread from there,” the spokesperson said.

Search and investigation continue

Rescue teams remain at the site, combing through the charred debris for those still unaccounted for. Authorities have yet to determine the precise cause of the inferno, and multiple agencies are examining safety lapses and possible criminal negligence.