KOLKATA: The ten-storied building in the downtown area of Burrabazar in Kolkata that caught fire in the wee hours of Saturday had already undergone 22 such fire accidents in the past.
The latest fire broke out in a warehouse cum electrical goods shop at Ezra Street. The fire is yet to be brought under full control, even after more than eight hours of fire-control exercise.
More than twenty fire tenders have been pressed into service since this morning. Efforts are continuing to bring the fire that spread to the high-rise on the opposite side of the completely gutted goods shop.
The fire engulfed buildings and shops adjacent to the affected shop, storing electrical items and combustible material one after another.
Santosh Pathak, local Congress councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), visited the spot and alleged that administrative negligence for years caused the repeated instances of fire in the same building.
“This building has caught fire 22 times before. I wrote to the Kolkata Police and the fire department earlier, but there was no action taken. The building beside it also caught fire in front of my eyes. If the fire brigade had worked properly, this would not have happened,” Santosh told reporters.
“The problems were chronic. Fire brigade officials said the cause of the blaze is still being investigated, though the presence of electronics and combustible materials likely accelerated its spread,” according to the councillor.
Residents and shop owners alleged that the fire brigade arrived late.
They also alleged a lack of proper fire safety measures in the building, which had been flagged repeatedly.
The firefighting engines could not reach the gutted shops and other establishments owing to the narrow lanes and large stacks of various inflammable components and building blocks.
Fire brigade officials said that it was very difficult for the firefighters to bring the fire under control.
However, no casualty has been reported figures have been reported so far, though many owners of small shops and other business establishments, along with their goods, left the spot with fear and anxiety.
The flames were spotted first by early morning risers in the locality – a mix of business establishments and residential buildings – on the first floor of 17 Ezra Street.
The locals tried to douse the flames on their own, but the intensity grew, with the flames reaching some yet-to-be-identified combustible materials.
From six fire tenders that were initially sent, the number has now gone up to over 20. The firefighters have been engaged in controlling the fire for nearly three hours.
A huge contingent of Kolkata Police has been deployed in the area, and most of the traffic has been diverted to other roads in the central parts of the city.