KOLKATA: The death toll in the fire that broke out in two warehouses in Anandapur, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, has reached 21, said the police on Wednesday.
At the same time, about 27 people are still missing, and a search is on to trace them.
Meanwhile, police have arrested Gangadhar Das, the owner of the burnt-down Pushpanjali decorator's warehouse. He was arrested on charges of death due to negligence.
On Wednesday, he was produced before a court, which remanded him to police custody till February 4.
The Pushpanjali decorator's warehouse was adjacent to a momo company's (Wow Momo) warehouse, which was also completely destroyed in the fire. Similar charges have been filed against the owners of the momo company, but no one from that company has been arrested yet.
Wow Momo on Wednesday said that they have lost three of their employees in the fire incident.
In a statement, the company said that in the early morning hours of January 26, around 3 a.m., a fire from a neighbouring warehouse spread into its premises, completely gutting one of its warehouses in Anandapur.
The company announced a compensation package that includes a payment of Rs 10 lakh per affected family, a lifetime monthly salary for the bereaved and full educational support for the child in the family. The company further said that the fire from the neighbouring warehouse reportedly started due to unauthorised cooking at that warehouse.