Fire breaks out at garment shop in New Market

Kolkata: A fire broke out at a garment shop situated inside New Market, triggering panic among local people and businessmen alike.

Three fire tenders were immediately pressed into action to douse the flames. The fire officials evacuated all the nearby shops to prevent any untoward incidents. Senior police officers also rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entire New Market area, restricting traffic on the adjacent lanes.

According to local businessmen, a fire broke out in a shop in New Market at around 4:45 pm. They spotted smoke billowing out from the shop. The local people immediately informed the matter to the fire brigade. The shop was packed with customers for Eid shopping, when the incident took place. No casualties or injuries have been reported, an official of the state Fire department said. There was a huge number of people in different shops at the time of the accident. New Market area is always heavily populated. On the occasion of Eid, the number had gone up considerably.

Panic broke out among the buyers following the incident. Many of the businessmen and customers were found running helter skelter as the shop went up in flames.

The shop was completely damaged in the fire. The loss may amount to the tune of a few lakhs, local sources said.

The firefighters evacuated all the adjacent shops. They later identified the source of the fire and checked the spread. The situation was brought under control within an hour.

According to senior officials of the Fire department, the fire might have been caused due to an electrical short circuit. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained, the official said.

The fire officials are also examining to ascertain if there was adequate firefighting mechanism inside New Market. A probe has been initiated in this regard.