A massive fire that broke out in Kolkata’s Anandapur area has claimed at least 19 lives so far, with the possibility of an increased death toll as some people are still reported missing. The fire engulfed two adjacent godowns where workers were sleeping at the time of the fire, making the structures death traps in the early hours of Monday, 26th January.
Police and rescue teams say dozens may still be trapped under the debris. Charred bodies and scattered remains have been recovered from the site, making identification difficult. Officials have said DNA tests may be required to establish the identities of the victims.
The fire erupted at about 3 am on 26th January, in twin warehouses situated in Nazirabad near Ruby Crossing in the Anandapur area of East Kolkata, which also housed a warehouse of the popular food chain Wow! Momos.
The fire spread quickly due to the highly inflammable materials inside the godowns. Fire services were quickly dispatched to the location, but the fire was still smouldering on Tuesday afternoon, 27th January.
Rescue operations have been slow and cautious as the structures were badly damaged and at risk of collapse. “The building has become extremely weak. We are proceeding carefully because the safety of our personnel is the top priority,” a disaster response official said.
Wow! Momo’s warehouse under scanner
One of the warehouses housed a storage facility of the popular food chain Wow! Momos, which quickly came under scrutiny after initial reports suggested the fire may have originated there. The company, however, denied these claims.
16 DEAD. 23 MISSING. STOP CALLING THIS AN ACCIDENT.
— CA Nitin Kaushik (FCA) | LLB (@Finance_Bareek) January 28, 2026
The fire at the Wow! Momo warehouse in Kolkata isn't just a tragedy it’s a CRIME. While this brand sells "innovation" to the public, their workers were being kept in a death trap.
• 16 people are dead. Their bodies are so… pic.twitter.com/SAlBqU00Fh
In a statement, Wow! Momos said the fire started in a neighbouring godown and later spread to its warehouse. “Forensic and police investigations have already validated that the fire originated from an adjacent godown,” the company said.
Wow! Momos confirmed that it operated a 12,000 square-foot warehouse at the location, used to store packaging materials, beverages and other supplies. The premises were rented, and the landlord owned both the Wow! Momos warehouse and the larger decorators’ godown next to it.
The company also said that three people who were inside its warehouse at the time lost their lives. “Two employees and one security guard deployed by an outsourced agency died in the incident,” the statement said.
No fire safety clearance, major lapses revealed
Investigations have shown that there were severe violations of fire safety norms at the location. According to reports, neither of the two godowns had the necessary fire safety clearance, and elementary fire safety measures were absent.
Ugliest face of capitalism is getting exposed everyday. Yesterday 40 workers were burnt to death in the warehouse of Wow Momo , a renowned brand now. According to info, workers were locked in the warehouse in fear of theft. And yesterday fire ended them all.
— kalki (@WayneClark202) January 28, 2026
Mr Sagar Darwani,… pic.twitter.com/hcsSXdaLRK
Ranveer Kumar, Director General of Fire Services, confirmed that the godowns were running without necessary clearance after inspecting the location. When asked how such a location could exist for so long, he admitted that there might have been some negligence on the part of the fire department and that an internal inquiry would be held.
Authorities said stringent legal action would be taken against those who had been ignoring safety norms.
Warehouse owner arrested, denies negligence
With the death toll increasing to 19, the police arrested the owner of the warehouses, Gangadhar Das, for causing death by negligence. Das was arrested from the Garia area on Tuesday night, 27th January, and will be produced before the Baruipur Sub-divisional Court after a medical check-up.
Das has denied all charges. He told the police that he himself was a victim of the fire and that he had lost everything he had accumulated over the years of his business. He also told the police that the fire might have been caused by negligence at a manufacturing unit nearby. However, no conclusion has been drawn yet about the cause of the fire, according to officials.
A case of death by negligence has been filed by the Narendrapur police based on a complaint from the fire department. A suo motu case has also been filed.
Civic authorities face tough questions
The role of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has also come under question. Kolkata Mayor and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim reacted to criticism about inaction and said that closing down businesses is not always easy.
“It is not right to shut down someone’s livelihood. If we had done that, people would have raised questions,” he said.
There have also been reports that the warehouses were constructed by illegally filling up wetlands. Hakim said he did not know if the buildings were erected on wetlands, but that the administration would not permit such encroachments in the future.
Superintendent of Police, Baruipur, Shubhendra Kumar, confirmed that a thorough investigation is being conducted to establish responsibility and ensure that such tragedies do not recur.
