The death toll from the Anandapur warehouse fire rose to 21 on Thursday, January 29. Officials confirmed 27 people are still missing after the massive blaze began early Monday. Firefighters worked in shifts as rescue operations continued on Thursday at the fragile, burnt warehouse on swampy land. The area shows heavy damage: trees turned to ashes and a nearby house blackened by smoke. A firefighter asked onlookers, "Please stay behind the line. We do not want the evidence tainted. Our forensic team is still collecting samples for investigation, and many people are still unaccounted for." Authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanghita around the site to protect evidence. Bodies were burnt beyond recognition; DNA tests will help identify the victims. Two warehouses burned down—one belonging to a local decorator, the other to food chain Wow Momo. Three victims worked at Wow Momo. The company stated the fire started at the decorator’s warehouse, not theirs, and offered ₹10 lakh compensation to affected families. Police arrested warehouse owner Gangadhar Das and produced him in court. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a ₹10 lakh compensation for each deceased family. Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari planned a protest march to the site but was denied permission due to the prohibitory Section 163 order. He criticized the TMC administration, saying it used suppression instead of accountability. Fire Director General Ranvir Kumar confirmed the warehouse lacked fire licenses. The incident has drawn criticism of government lapses in warehouse regulation within the city.