Fire breaks out at spice factory godown at Manicktala, none injured

Kolkata: A fire broke out at the go-down of a spice processing factory at Manicktala on Monday night.

The godown situated on Canal Circular road caught fire at around 12 am on Monday. Locals spotted smoke billowing out of the go-down and reported the matter to the fire brigade.

The incident triggered tension among locals. The go-down is situated in a congested area with residential apartments around. Around 16 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames. Police and disaster management team also rushed to the spot. They cordoned off the entire area and traffic movement was restricted.

As spices were stored inside the godown, the firemen felt burning sensation in their eyes. Some of the firemen and locals fell ill after inhaling the smoke emanating from the factory.

The situation was so adverse that the fire fighters had to enter into the factory with oxygen masks. Initially, the fire fighters failed to reach to the source of the fire. There were difficulties in identifying the source of the fire as black smoke was coming out from the godown. According to locals, the area soon covered with thick black smoke causing burning sensation in the eyes of people. It took around five hours to bring the situation under control. According to preliminary investigation, the fire officials and police suspect that inflammable materials were stored inside the go-down that aggravated the situation further.

A forensic team on Tuesday reached the spot and collected samples. Preliminary investigation also suggests that there was no proper fire fighting mechanism at the godown. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained. They are not ruling out the possibility of a short circuit.