Fire breaks out at 3 separate places, 1 killed

Kolkata: A fire broke out inside a confectionery shop at Topsia in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Four fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.

According to an officer of the state Fire and Emergency Services department, the fire broke out at around 2.20 am. Firefighters took around two hours to extinguish the fire.

Though the exact reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, the fire fighters suspect that electric short circuit might have led to the incident.

Some of the locals saw smoke billowing out of the shop and informed the Fire and Emergency Services department. The fire fighters reached the spot within a few minutes and initiated the work to extinguish the fire. The shop was gutted but the total extent of damage is yet to be ascertained. Police also went to the spot and cordoned off the area.

There was another incident of fire in New Market on Tuesday night.

Four fire tenders were pressed to extinguish the fire. The fire fighters took around one and a half hours to douse the flames. The Disaster Management Group of the Kolkata Police was also pressed into service.

It may be also mentioned that a 52-year-old man, Swapan Bhattacharjee, was killed when a fire broke out at his flat at Ballygunge on Tuesday evening.

He used to stay alone in the house. The flat was on the fourth floor of an 18-storeyed apartment. Fire fighters rescued the man and took him to SSKM Hospital with severe burn injuries.

He was declared brought dead when taken to the hospital. Police initiated a probe in this connection but yet to ascertain the exact reason behind the fire that led to the death of the man.