Fire breaks out in New Market restaurant, no casualties

Kolkata: A fire broke out at a restaurant at New Market area which is a stone's throw away from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarter on Thursday morning. No injuries or casualties has been reported in the incident.

The incident occurred at around 10.25 am on Thursday, triggering panic among the local people.

Four fire tenders were immediately pressed into action to douse the flame. The local people spotted smoke billowing out of a restaurant at around 10 am on Thursday.

Some of the staff members were preparing for cooking when the restaurant caught fire. According to the preliminary investigation, police and fire department officials suspect that the fire might have caused following the bursting of the gas cylinder which was inside the kitchen.

People first saw black smoke coming out of the restaurant. The restaurant was completely gutted in the fire.

According to a fire official, it is suspected that explosion of cooking gas cylinder might have led to the fire. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately after the incident was reported.

It may be mentioned that a major fire broke out at a Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) godown situated near Armenian Ghat close to the Kolkata end of the Howrah Bridge on Tuesday evening which was filled with barrel of diesel.

The incident triggered tension among the local residents who started running helter-skelter from one side to the other.

The local people informed the matter to the fire brigade. Four fire tenders were swung into action. Police also reached the spot and the cordoned off the entire area. Traffic movement at the area was also restricted. The local residents were taken to a safer place to avoid any

untoward incidents.

The area was also evacuated by the police and fire officials. The fire officials suspect that the gas cylinder might have gone off when an employee of the restaurant lit the gas oven.

The fire soon spread to an adjacent shoe shop which was also gutted.

The firefighters restricted the fire from spreading further and brought the fire under control after nearly two hours.

The fire officials and police have started a detailed probe in this regard. They were also investigating if there was adequate fire fighting mechanism in the restaurant.

The fire officials are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.