One person was killed and several others injured when a fire broke out at a chemical factory in Kanchantala in Badu, Madhyamgram, about 21 kilometres north of Calcutta on Wednesday.

A dozen fire tenders brought the blaze under control after several hours.

Fire fighters managed to rescue several workers who were trapped inside after the fire was first spotted around noon.

One man, who was rushed to Barasat State General Hospital, succumbed to his injuries. Hospital sources said the victim was a resident of Bongaon but didn’t want to name him till his family members arrived for identification.

“Fire fighting became a challenge because the factory was stacked with inflammable chemicals,” said a senior officer of the fire and emergency services department.

While most of the workers managed to leave the premises, some of them got trapped while fighting fire, police said.

The fire fighters rescued them and sent some of those who had received burns to hospital.

“A team of forensic experts will visit the factory on Thursday and collect samples to identify the cause of fire,” a fire department official said.