A massive fire broke out inside a chemical warehouse at Angaragadia Industrial Area in Balasore city, killing a security guard on Saturday night.
The victim, identified as Kailash Chandra Behera from Bhadrak district, succumbed after falling into a drain filled with heated chemicals while trying to escape the blaze.
The fire erupted around 1:30 AM inside Mishra Limes chemical warehouse. Local residents noticed thick smoke and flames rising from the facility and immediately alerted the fire brigade. Security guards on duty attempted to flee the inferno. One guard managed to escape, but Behera fell into a nearby drain while running. The drain contained boiling chemical residue, which engulfed him completely and caused his death on the spot.
Firefighters rushed to the scene and battled the flames that quickly consumed the entire warehouse. They later recovered Behera’s charred body from the chemical-filled drain. Police from the Industrial Area station also reached the site, seized the body, and began investigating the cause of the fire.
The incident raised serious concerns about safety measures in chemical storage facilities. Residents demanded stricter enforcement of fire safety protocols to prevent similar tragedies. Authorities assured a thorough probe into the circumstances that led to the blaze and the fatal accident.
