Kolkata: A major fire broke out at a chips factory located on the national highway in the Alampur area of Howrah district of West Bengal on late Wednesday afternoon at around 12 noon. An hour later, only two engines arrived at the spot, sparking outrage among locals. Local people alleged negligence against the administration. Eventually, the fire was brought under control with the help of 20 fire engines. No casualties were reported.
According to reports, the fire spread rapidly due to a large amount of waste stored in the factory. Apart from the negligence of the administration, the locals also expressed their displeasure over the fire-fighting system of the factory. They also complained that there were many irregularities during the construction of this industrial park.
Debabrata Bhowmik, a former member of Mashila Gram Panchayat, said, "I was the first to witness to raging fire and immediately called up the fire brigade. Even after reporting the incident, the fire brigade reached the spot late." He couldn't hold his displeasure and said, "only two fire engines came to put out such a big fire. I also complained that the factory and the industrial taluk, lack a proper fire extinguishing system. Around four to five thousand workers work in this industrial taluk. Also expressed concern that any major accident could lead to loss of life at any time."
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Local resident Alok Kole claims that "the administration's role in the fire incident is very disappointing. It was watching the fire incident in silence. After seeing two fire engines arrive in the first place, I could not hold back my anger. The two fire engines were not enough to put out this massive fire. I was worried about the safety of vehicles plying on the road as the factory was situated on the national highway."
Meanwhile, the fire officials said that they would investigate the fire incident and check whether the firefighting system in the factory was in accordance with the guidelines. Exactly what caused the fire is still unclear. Although this fire was initially presumed to be from a short circuit. Even though no casualties have been reported so far, the administration is expecting a huge financial loss. The administration has said it will look into the incident as well.
