Fire at Panagarh ammunition depot

Major fire at Panagarh army ammunition depot in Bengal, causes blasts.

Blasts were reportedly heard at the Panagarh Army base in West Bengal late on Thursday night (March 25- 26) after an ammunition depot caught fire.

A fire swept through an army base at Panagarh, about 120 km to the north of Kolkata, on Thursday night, even as the state tried was trying to overcome the tragedy of the Stephen House fire in Kolkata’s Park Street.

Continuous loud explosions were heard at the army base from 1 in the night for two hours. The base also has a munition that caught fire.

However, there were no reports of casualties. Army personnel tried to rein in the fire throught the night.

In the morning the fire appeared to be under control.

The sky turned red, yellow and black as the explosions triggered high flames leaping into the air, triggering panic among the villagers of neighbouring Bud Bud village.

“Thousands of villagers came out of their homes in panic and gathered on National Highway 2 at the dead of night. But the defence personnel sealed all the gates and none was allowed to go near the camp,” said Swapan Khan, a local resident.

“Our houses were shaking due to the explosions,” Khan said.

A fire engine that started out from Durgapur to reach the spot met with an accident on the way, resulting in the injury to two firemen.

A particular shed (no 15) caught fire, said the locals.

However, there was no communication from the army base authorities.