KOLKATA: Two persons were burnt to death, while three others sustained critical burn injuries after a fire broke out in a five-storied residential building in the Topsia area of Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon.
The death toll may be increased as condition of the injured are stated to be critical.
They are undergoing critical care treatment at the state-run National Medical College Hospital.
The West Bengal state secretariat Nabanna has formed a committee comprising additional chief secretaries (ACS) of MSME and fire services departments, Kolkata Police commissioner and Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s commissioner to take legal steps after making an on-the-spot visit to the site, sources said.
The fire was spotted first in the second-floor flat of the building on G J Khan Road in the Topsia area.
Black smoke was found billowing out of the building after the fire engulfed the flat. Locals informed the nearby fire service station after the residents in the building raised an alarm.
Four firefighting engines were pressed into service to douse the flame.
Locals said that five residents of the flat screamed with panic and could not come downstairs because black smoke spread rapidly, engulfing their rooms, bathrooms and kitchen.
Fire services rescued them from the spot. They were rushed to the nearby government teaching hospital, where the doctors concerned declared two among the five affected persons dead.
The remaining three persons are undergoing treatment.
The reason behind the fire has not yet been ascertained.
Fire Brigade personnel who were on-the-spot suspected that an electrical short-circuit might have caused the fire. The fire was brought under control within one and a half hours, according to the locals.