Amazon India Launches Probe Into Fatal Fire At Partner Warehouse

Ecommerce major Amazon India has reportedly launched an internal investigation into a fire at one of its third-party delivery partner, M&M Logistics Solutions, in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani that killed two workers last month.

As per a Reuters report, the ecommerce giant said it will take “appropriate action” against M&M Logistics Solutions after the police investigation is completed.

The fire broke out on June 5 at an M&M Logistics facility in Uttarakhand. According to the report, the building allegedly did not have a valid fire safety clearance, fire alarm, smoke detectors or a proper emergency exit. 

“We will take appropriate action in line with our policies once the investigation is complete,” Amazon said in a statement to Reuters. M&M Logistics Solutions operates 45 Amazon delivery centres across 21 cities in northern India, according to an earlier Amazon statement.

Following the latest incident, Amazon India Workers Union demanded a judicial inquiry into the fire fatalities, labelling the instance as a “grave failure of workplace safety and protection of human dignity”.

In a post on X, the union said that two Amazon workers died trapped inside the warehouse with “no emergency exit”. 

Inc42 has reached out to Amazon to understand the development. The story will be updated based on the responses. M&M Logistics Solutions has not responded publicly to the allegations. State police in Uttarakhand also did not comment.

Workplace safety concerns have been a recurring theme for Amazon’s Indian operations. Last year, the NHRC sought a response from the ecommerce major over allegations of labour law violations during work conditions at one of its Delhi warehouses during severe heat. The commission was later informed that the state government had initiated legal action under labour laws.

Important to note that Amazon issues a Seller Code of Conduct that requires vendors to maintain safe working conditions. It also highlights that contractors can face suspension or termination for violating its safety standards.

The incident is the latest in a series of warehouse fire accidents that have put workplace safety in the ecommerce supply chain under question.

Earlier in January, three employees of QSR chain Wow! Momo died after a fire spread from a neighbouring warehouse to its facility in Kolkata. The Calcutta High Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident, while West Bengal Police arrested the warehouse manager and deputy manager over alleged negligence. 

A month later, pet care startup Supertails lost its entire inventory after a fire at a neighbouring perfume warehouse spread to its leased storage facility in Bengaluru. While no employees were injured, the startup was forced to cancel its flagship sale and shift operations to a new warehouse.

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