Zeeshan Jawed & Biplab Bhattacharjee | TNN
Kolkata: A fire broke out in a wooded area on Maharshi Debendra Road near Nimtala Ghat late on Friday night and raged till early Saturday morning as 20 fire tenders brought the fire under control. Although no injuries were reported, the godown was gutted and residential units above the godown and in the vicinity suffered partial damage, necessitating the temporary relocation of the affected families.
The firefighting operation faced challenges due to strong winds and low tide conditions in the Hooghly River. Fire trucks made repeated trips to fire stations to bring water to douse the flames. A senior fire department official overseeing the rescue operation said, “The fire started in an area of ​​2,000 square meters on the ground floor stacked with timber. Fortunately, some families staying on the floor above the level managed to evacuate in time. illegal, without fire extinguishing measures”.
Firefighters tried to put out the “pocket fires” until late Saturday morning. A forensic investigation will determine the cause of the fire. Resident Vishal Chowdhury, who lived above the affected warehouse, narrated their timely evacuation following local alerts. “I took my son and rushed out of the house. Other family members also came out. Most of our belongings were destroyed in the fire,” said Chowdhury, an employee at a nearby unit.
Fire Minister Sujit Bose inspected the site and acknowledged difficulties in accessing water due to low tide. “But our fire tenders continuously supplied water from nearby stations and brought the fire under control,” said Bose. Minister Shashi Panja, who is also the local MP, said some families have been moved to temporary shelters. “We have raised the issue of fire hazards in this area numerous times,” said Panja, who visited the area on Saturday morning.
This incident exposed the inappropriate fire safety measures and monitoring in central business district areas susceptible to fire hazards. The godown that caught fire is located on the outskirts of Jorabagan’s central business district. According to several locals, such godowns have proliferated in the area where flammable goods are stored without proper fire safety measures.