Bengal Paint Factory Fire: 22 Admitted To Hospital, 1 Critically Injured

The condition of a 26-year-old man, one of the 22 injured in a massive fire at a paint manufacturing unit in Howrah district, is critical, with around 80 per cent burns, a senior doctor at the state-run hospital where he is being treated, said on Thursday. His health has deteriorated since Wednesday night, when we was admitted to SSKM Hospital, he said.

At least 22 people suffered injuries in the blaze that erupted at the factory of Berger Paints in Shibpur around 1.40 pm on Wednesday, police said.

Another injured, with 50 per cent burns, is "doing okay and there is nothing to worry about'', the doctor added.

Fifteen others, undergoing treatment at the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI), are "more or less stable", an official said.

The cause of the fire is being probed, but preliminary investigation has hinted at a short circuit in an AC unit, he said.

The incident occurred near the exit gate with the production area remaining completely unaffected, Berger Paints had said in a release.

Ten fire tenders were pressed into service and it took almost eight hours to douse the flames, a fire department official said.

People in buildings adjacent to the factory were also evacuated as part of the firefighting operations, he said.