Blast at fireworks factory in Bengal’s Champahati leaves four severely injured

A blast at a fireworks factory in West Bengal’s Champahati in South 24 Parganas district severely injured four people on Saturday (January 10, 2026). One of them is in critical condition and is being treated at a private hospital in Kolkata. 

Locals said they heard about three loud noises from the factory area, which caused them to find the source and led them to the blast site. The impact of the explosion blew away the asbestos roof of the structure. A nearby house was also damaged. A large tree in the area was burnt down to ashes. 

Local police and firefighters reached the spot and doused the flames, rescued the locals, and started investigating the cause of the fire. The blast site was sealed off to secure the location. 

“These incidents occur every few months because there is a lack of work in the State. So, people are resorting to illegal work activities to earn money and survive… Such incidents are a result of that,” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sukanta Majumdar told a local media house. 

“The exact cause of the fire is not known. We are investigating,” a firefighter present at the accident site said. 

Several similar incidents leading to multiple fatalities have occurred in the fireworks industry belt in Champahati in the past. 

Eight persons of a family died in a fire in Pathar Pratima block following an explosion in South 24 Parganas district in March 2025. The incident took place right beside a firecracker factory, and the house where the fire took place also had huge quantities of fireworks stored inside.  

In February 2025, four people were killed in a similar incident where a blast at a fireworks factory caused massive devastation, raising questions about workers’ safety.