Massive blaze at chemical factory in Bengal’s Barasat; godowns gutted, 20 engines rushed to the spot

A fire gutted a chemical factory in Bengal’s Barasat area on Saturday (June 21, 2025). This is the second massive blaze in Kolkata and its surrounding area in the past one week.

Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose said they may try to start a green corridor system for fire engines after repeated complaints of delayed response from the fire department has led to major backlash from the opposition. 

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Over 20 engines were rushed to the spot in Barasat’s Bamunmora Kadambagachi area, but the highly inflammable chemicals inside the factory made firefighting difficult. Multiple blasts were heard in the area as the fire engulfed the whole factory for hours, but no casualties were reported. The fire spread across the multiple godowns in the congested area. The thick black smoke from the fire was seen from kilometers away.  

Locals claimed that the fire started around 6 pm in the evening and continued until late in the night.  

Locals also accused that the fire engines were late in responding and did not arrive on time, leading to more damage. According to locals, at least 80 families from the surrounding areas had to be moved as a precautionary measure. 

“We had to leave our homes, we only removed our gas cylinders from the house to reduce further blasts. But fire engines were late to come,” a local told media persons. 

Traffic on the busy Taki Road came to a standstill for several hours in the evening as emergency services and fire engines rushed to the spot. A huge contingent of police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) were also present on site to control the situation. 

Local authorities Barasat Sub-Divisional Police Officer and additional Superintendent of Police also reached the spot. 

“The fire is massive; it takes time to contain such a huge fire. I have spoken to the fire minister myself, and there are multiple fire tenders on the spot. We are trying to control the situation,” Trinamool Congress MP of Barasat Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, said while visiting the affected area. She said the cause of the fire will be determined after proper investigation. 

A senior fire department official present on spot said that the fire was under control but not completely doused. 

According to sources, Sujit Bose, the Fire and Emergency Services Minister, said that they may be planning to start a green corridor system for fire engines in Kolkata and surrounding areas. This comes after an alleged delayed response from the fire department has received massive criticism from the opposition MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party. 

A massive blaze in a century-old market in Khidirpur’s Orphangunge Market gutted over 700 shops last Monday (June 16) in the wee hours of the night. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also accused that the fire was ‘man-made’. 

Only last month, a major fire at a hotel in the heart of Kolkata in the Burrabazar market area took the lives of 14 people.  

These multiple incidents have raised many questions about the fire safety measures and preparedness in the congested areas of the city.