KOLKATA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indian police have arrested the owner and 
manager of a warehouse in Kolkata where at least 25 people died in a blaze, 
officials said Friday.

Rescuers in the West Bengal state capital were combing through the debris for 
dozens more still feared missing after the fire that erupted on Monday 
engulfed two adjacent warehouses, including one belonging to a fast-food 
company.

"The victims were burnt alive. Rescue teams are digging into the rubble and 
debris to find charred remains," Ranvir Kumar, the director general of fire 
and emergency services in the eastern state, told AFP.

He said the warehouses did not have fire license and lacked adequate safety 
measures.

Sujit Bose, the state's fire services minister, said the owner of one of the 
warehouses and its manager had been arrested, with an investigation underway.

The early morning flames trapped men sleeping inside one of the warehouses 
and quickly spread to an adjoining building.

"The death toll now stands at 25... but we fear that the number may rise as 
rescue teams have not been able to clear the wreckage till now," Bose said.

Some of the victims were burned beyond recognition, he said, adding that 
families of 27 more people had reported their loved ones were missing.

The incident comes barely a month after a fire ripped through a nightclub in 
the popular tourist hub of Goa, killing 25 people.

Fires are common in India due to poor construction standards, a lack of 
firefighting equipment and routine disregard of safety regulations.

In May last year, 17 people died after a fire ripped through a three-storey 
building in the southern city of Hyderabad.

A month before that, a blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing at 
least 15 people. Some people clambered out of windows and onto the rooftop to 
escape.