One person was killed and two others were injured when fire broke out at a firecracker manufacturing factory at Champahati in South 24 Parganas on Friday afternoon.
The deceased has been identified as Ashok Mondol, the owner of the factory. His brother whose condition is stated to be critical along with an employee of the factory have been admitted to a hospital. The police are conducting a probe to find whether the factory had proper license or not. The police said earlier, there was a fire at the factory but despite cautions, Mondol went ahead with production.
Local people heard the sound of explosion and saw the factory up in flames. They made attempts to douse the fire and informed the fire brigade. The firemen fought the blaze for over two-and-a-half hours before bringing it under the control. The factory has been reduced to ashes. Local people took the injured to the hospital where Mondol was declared brought dead and his brother was admitted in a critical condition.
The factory is situated close to Mondol's house. The fire broke out when Mondol was manufacturing firecrackers. As highly combustible cracker-making powders and chemicals were stacked inside the factory, the fire spread quickly. Soon the entire factory was up in flames and then the explosions started.
The police said firecracker manufacturing has become a cottage industry in the area with hundreds of families depending on the units to earn their daily livelihoods. But just a few of the factories are legal and the illegal ones do not have proper fire safety measures.
Champahati is famous for its firecrackers' industry. As bursting firecrackers has become a common practice, the factories are kept open throughout the year. Earlier, the trade was seasonal.
But though there is pressure on the factories, the owners do not upgrade them and neither do they install fire safety norms. The area is very congested and it is just a matter of time before some major accident occurs here, which will affect the lives of many people, the police maintained.