Twelve persons died after a devastating fire broke out at Ready-made Centre, one of the largest garments shop in Sodepur, in North Kolkata. At least, 30 others, including six fire-fighters were grievously injured.
Instead of receiving burn injuries, all the victims were asphyxiated to death after they were trapped in the three-storied building which had no emergency door.
"None of the victims received burn injuries. All had died due to suffocation," confirmed DIG Presidency Range, Somen Mitra.
Preliminary investigation suggests that while using a gas-cutter during some renovation work, a fire spark fell on the carpet that instantly caught fire. Moreover, unaware of the fire safety norms, the shutters were down. "The showroom people misguided us. First, they pulled down the shutter, next they told that there was no one on the other side of the shutter. It was this shutter that had trapped the people inside who were ultimately suffocated," alleged a senior fire department officer.