Tragic Gujarat Blaze: Deafening Blast Leaves Bodies Charred Beyond Recognition

Gujarat Blaze: Illicit Firecracker Warehouse Blast Claims 21 Lives
Deesa, Gujarat—At least 21 individuals, including several migrant workers, were killed in a fatal explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Gujarat’s Deesa. The mishap, which occurred early on Tuesday morning, was preceded by a deafening explosion that jolted the entire area, shattering the morning calm and leaving shopkeepers and residents in a state of panic.

Girish Kotak, a 58-year-old businessman residing about 200 meters from the engulfed warehouse, described the terror, stating, “It felt like a plane had crashed or something had fallen from the sky.”. The walls trembled, and we could see and smell smoke and dust billowing from the building across the street.” The fire, which had broken out following an initial boiler explosion, rapidly got out of hand, causing several detonations and the partial collapse of the building, entombing workers in the debris.

Local police and rescue personnel converged on the site, putting up barricades in the process of hunting for survivors and dead amidst the wreckage. Most of the dead were said to be burnt beyond recognition or mutilated, hence difficult to identify. Reports claim that some of the victims were workers who had just come to Deesa to look for jobs.

Gujarat government spokesperson Minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed that the warehouse was not licensed to produce or store firecrackers and that authorities had earlier declined to renew a license on grounds of safety violations. “We have found that Khubchand Thakkar, a Deesa resident, was making firecrackers illegally,” a government official said, seeking anonymity. Thakkar and his son Deepak were arrested soon after the accident.

The clandestine illegal business had been secret for years, reportedly using child workers as well as other migrant laborers. Approximately 200 workers were on Thakkar’s payroll, most of whom had come in just days prior to the fire. Many came from the Madhya Pradesh Nayak and Banjara castes, who had worked earlier in firecracker units closed down following a deadly explosion in 2024.

Relatives of the victims explained the desperate situation that prompted many to look for employment in Deesa. Rajesh Nayak, a cousin of one of the victims, explained, “They lost their jobs when the factories in Harda shut down. Desperate, they took up offers of work in Gujarat.”

Eyewitnesses gave eyewitness accounts of their ordeal. Rakesh Nayak, a 20-year-old survivor of the blaze, lost several members of his family in the disaster. He said, “When I came to, I found more than 20 people dead, including my aunt and brother.”

In the aftermath of the tragedy, local authorities are confirming the identity of the victims and making efforts to inform their relatives. While the community is mourning the deaths, families involved in the tragedy are left struggling with the consequences of a catastrophe that underlines the continued issues of illegal labor practice and safety breaches in the area.

Police are still probing the scope of firecracker production at the plant and the different safety laws it broke. The probe seeks to bring to book those responsible and ensure that such tragedies do not recur in the future.