Mumbai: A massive fire broke out at a furniture godown in Oshiwara Furniture Market in Jogeshwari West, on Tuesday morning. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) reported the incident at 11:52 am, classifying it as a Level-II fire at 11:46 am. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Details On The Fire Incident

The fire erupted in a ground-floor furniture godown near A1 Darbar Restaurant on Swami Vivekanand Marg. Thick smoke and flames were seen rising from the structure, causing panic in the area. Firefighters and other emergency services rushed to the spot to contain the blaze.

Authorities quickly mobilised multiple agencies, including the Mumbai Fire Brigade, police, Adani electricity officials, ward staff and 108 ambulance services. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported so far.

Cause Of Fire Not Known Yet

Firefighting operations were underway to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures, with efforts focused on controlling the flames and ensuring the safety of surrounding areas. The cause of the fire remains unknown and further investigation will be conducted to determine the exact reason behind the incident.

Kolkata, Feb 7: At least four persons were killed and several others have been injured following a blast at a firecracker factory at Kalyani in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Friday afternoon.

Sources from the district police said that so far, four charred bodies have been recovered from the spot of the blast and of the four, two are women. The administration has yet to reveal the identities of these four deceased individuals. It is perceived that the four individuals killed in the blast were workers at the said factory.

Local eyewitnesses said that the impact of the blast was such that the entire factory shade was blown off and the entire structure came tumbling down.

Local people also suspect that the administration’s figure of four deaths till now is not accurate and the number of casualties will be much higher. The conditions of some of those who had been injured are so critical that it is doubtful that they may survive.

A huge police contingent and personnel from the state fire services and the disaster management departments have already reached the spot and started the rescue operations. The rescue teams are trying to locate whether there are more bodies trapped under the debris.

Now questions are being raised on how permission for running such a hazardous factory was given in that area which is heavily crowded. At the same time, the police have started an investigation to track whether the firecracker factory had the requisite license or not.

For the last couple of years, West Bengal has been in the national headlines because of unfortunate deaths because of illegal firecracker factory or warehouse blasts.

In 2023, as many as nine persons were killed in a similar blast at an illegal firecracker factory at Egra in East Midnapore district. There were similar blasts at Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas and Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas districts during the last couple of years killing several people.

Every time after the blast the administration cautions of strong actions against such illegal firecracker entities. Police raids continue for some time and fade away.

Los Angeles, Feb 6: The two largest wildfires that recently ravaged Los Angeles County may have caused total property and capital losses of as much as 164 billion US dollars, according to a new report.

The report published on Tuesday by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) suggests total property and capital losses caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires could range between 95 billion dollars and 164 billion dollars, with insured losses estimated at 75 billion dollars.

The report, authored by UCLA Anderson Forecast economists Zhiyun Li and William Yu, predicts a 0.48-percent loss in county-level GDP for 2025, amounting to approximately 4.6 billion dollars, and a total wage loss of 297 million dollars for local businesses and employees in the affected areas.

“Without substantial and effective wildfire mitigation efforts and investments, Californians will face increasingly higher insurance premiums and growing health risks from wildfire-related pollution,” said the report, adding that Los Angeles housing markets, “in particular for rental units, will become increasingly unaffordable.”

UCLA Anderson Forecast is one of the most widely watched and often-cited economic outlooks for California and the nation, according to UCLA Anderson School of Management’s website.

Last month, Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States, experienced the most catastrophic wildfires in its history. The two deadly major wildfires killed at least 28 people and destroyed over 16,000 structures. The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched over 23,700 acres (95.9 square km) and 14,000 acres (56.7 square km), respectively.

Additionally, the devastating wildfires that began sweeping through Southern California on January 7 have left the region’s education system reeling, with over a dozen schools severely damaged or destroyed.

As school officials begin the daunting task of rebuilding, they face an estimated cost of hundreds of millions of US dollars, with recovery expected to take years.

At least 12 schools in Los Angeles County have suffered significant damage, with five campuses destroyed, according to CalMatters, a nonprofit news organisation focusing on local agendas in California. Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, lost two elementary schools in Pacific Palisades, while Palisades Charter High School was heavily damaged. In Pasadena and Altadena, three additional elementary schools were destroyed.