Massive fire devastates godown and five houses in Malda

A quiet night turned into a terrifying ordeal in Daulatnagar area in Malda;s Harishchandrapur. As per reports, a small diya lit inside a traders’ godown suddenly sparked a massive fire that swallowed the entire godown alongwith five neighbouring houses. The warehouse, located right beside Daulatnagar High School, stored goods for merchants from nearby market, and locals believe the routine evening diya accidentally set alight some flammable material. Within minutes, roaring flames leapt from the warehouse to the thatched roofs of five nearby homes, leaving families screaming and running for their lives.

Villagers rushed with buckets and whatever water they could find, but the blaze was too fierce and spread too fast to control. Screams filled the night as people watched their belongings—clothes, food grains, furniture, and in the godown, lakhs worth of traders’ stock—turned to ashes. It took two firefighters for around two hours of battle to finally tame the flames, by which time the godown and the adjacent five houses were reduced to nothing but blackened remains.

Harishchandrapur Block 2 BDO Tapas Pal called it a heartbreaking incident and promised immediate administration help for the affected families who have lost everything. Relief materials and temporary shelter arrangements are being made while officials assess the full damage. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed, but few families are now homeless and the trader have suffered huge financial losses in the devastating fire.