20 people are dead after a fire swept a building containing unlicensed markets and warehouses in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.  Twelve more people are hospitals with serious injuries.

The fire started before 4:00 AM in the six-storey building and wasn’t brought under control until the late morning.  The victims were mostly laborers who were sleeping in the upper warehouse section.

Factors that made everything worse include the fact there was only one way in or out of the building, and the only stairway was blocked with goods.  There was an emergency exit but it hadn’t been used in 15 years and apparently inaccessible.

Most of the illegal stores on the first floor sold plastic and paper goods, which created a thick, toxic cloud that was trapped in the building as it burned.