Gujarat Inferno: Loud blast, thick smoke and unrecognizable bodies

Girish Kotak, 58, was having tea when a deafening explosion shattered the morning calm on Tuesday. He thought a plane had crashed. “The walls shook. Then we saw dust and smoke from across the street near the industrial area,” he said. The blast came from an illegal firecracker factory housed in a warehouse in Gujarat’s Deesa, where a fire killed at least 21 people.

The blaze triggered multiple explosions, collapsing sections of the warehouse and trapping workers under the rubble. Residents and shopkeepers fled, fearing more blasts, as ambulances and fire brigades rushed in. Police barricaded the area while rescue teams recovered bodies—some charred beyond recognition, others torn apart.

Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed the warehouse had no license to store or manufacture firecrackers. Police had earlier refused to renew a storage license due to safety violations.

Authorities said Khubchand Thakkar, a Deesa resident, illegally produced firecrackers. Police arrested Thakkar and his son, Deepak, late Tuesday. Deepak, booked last year for cricket betting in Ahmedabad, was out on bail and involved in the firecracker business.

Investigators suspect a boiler explosion ignited the fire. Firecrackers and raw explosives fueled the disaster. Poor boiler maintenance or excessive pressure could have triggered the blast.

Officials are probing how long Thakkar’s operation ran unnoticed. His family owns another firecracker business in Himmatnagar. He allegedly employed workers, including children, to manufacture fireworks. Around 200 migrants worked in the warehouse. Many victims had arrived in Deesa just two days before the fire.

Authorities identified 18 victims as migrants from Madhya Pradesh. Over 40 members of the Nayak and Banjara communities from Handia and Sandalpur villages had come to Deesa on March 29. They previously worked at illegal firecracker factories in Harda, which shut down after a February 2024 blast killed 13 people.

Rajesh Nayak, a victim’s relative, said a woman recruited them for jobs in Gujarat. “Some left immediately by train, while others followed on March 29.”

Eyewitness Rakesh Nayak, 20, survived because he had stepped out for water. “For minutes, smoke was everywhere. I lost consciousness. My aunts, brother, and other relatives were inside. When I woke up, over 20 were dead.” His brother Vishnu Nayak and aunt Guddi Bai were among them.

On Tuesday, police visited Handia village with a list of victims. Gangubai, 65, lost her grandson, Dhanraj, 15, in the explosion. Her daughter and another grandson remain missing.

Handia town inspector Ramprasad Kavreti confirmed 15 victims had been identified. Authorities were arranging travel for relatives to Gujarat. The tragedy exposed the dangers of illegal firecracker factories and the exploitation of migrant laborers.