Major fire in army ammunition depot in West Bengal destroys 150 tonnes of explosives

Close on the heels of the Stephen Court inferno in Kolkata, another major fire broke out early on Friday at  one of the largest army ammunition depots at Panagarh in Burdwan district, destroying 150 tonnes of explosives and ammunition. Panagarh, around 120 km west of Kolkata, also houses an air force station.

Eastern Command spokesman Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani said the fire broke out around 1.30 am. “One shed of the depot was gutted. Eight fire engines were deployed and the flames were doused in three hours. There are no casualties,” he said.

Shed number 16 that was gutted contained explosives and small arms. “The army’s crisis management team led by the depot’s chief executive officer Colonel AD Shetty had to struggle throughout the night to douse the fire,” Upasani said.

People living in the area reported hearing a series of  explosions for more than an hour. “It was an incredible sound,” Kashinath Chatterjee, who lives in nearby Bud Bud village, said. “Panicked villagers came out of their homes and stood on the highway.”  
Frequent explosions inside the depot created panic in adjacent villages.