Kolkata fire tragedy: Manager, deputy manager of Wow! Momo arrested; toll 25

KOLKATA: Kolkata Police on Friday arrested manager Raja Chakraborty and deputy manager Manoranjan Sheet of Wow! Momo following a massive fire in the Anandapur area of South 24 Parganas.

At least 25 workers were killed in the blaze.

The fire broke out around 3am on Monday in a godown belonging to Pushpanjali Decorators and quickly spread to the adjoining warehouse operated by Wow! Momo.

With inflammable goods stacked in both facilities, the structures were quickly consumed by flames, making escape nearly impossible. Locals said only three of about 37 workers present in the two godowns managed to flee.

Except for the three employees who were in the Wow! Momo unit, all the others were in the Pushpanjali godown. Most of the workers hailed from neighbouring districts and lived on the premises.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for Wow! Momo said their Nazirabad warehouse began operations three years ago and complied with all fire safety protocols.

“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,” he said.

Rescue operations are ongoing, with authorities searching through the debris for the missing workers, while investigations continue into the cause of the fire.

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