A fire broke out in Kolkata’s Baghbazar area in West Bengal on Wednesday evening, reported PTI, citing the police. No casualties were reported.
Twenty-five fire tenders were deployed to the spot to douse the flames, according to NDTV. The fire spread to several houses at a slum in Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue beside the Bagbazar Women’s College near Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, the police said. At least 40 shanties burnt to ashes in the slum. The fire also spread to the adjacent Sarada Mayer Bari area, an officer of the fire department told the news agency.
The police said that blasts were heard in the slum. Police officers suspect gas cylinders burst in the area. A senior Kolkata police officer, however, said the reason behind the fire was not yet known. “The firemen are fighting it tooth and nail and hopefully, it will soon be under control,” the officer said. The police also said that the fire led to a massive traffic jam in the area.
Local residents alleged that the blaze got out of control as the firefighters arrived at the spot at least an hour late. The residents vandalised a couple of police vehicles. A Rapid Action Force team was deployed to control the mob, an officer said. Ambulances are also present at the spot.
This is the second fire that broke out in Kolkata on Wednesday, according to the Hindustan Times. A fire had broken out at a godown in the Manicktala area of the city. Five fire tenders were sent to the spot to extinguish the flames. The police said there were no casualties or injuries reported from the incident. They said the fire was doused in an hour.
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