Nearly 30 flats damaged in Taratala fire, none injured
31 Jan 2018 5:43 PM GMT
Kolkata: As many as 30 houses were damaged in a fire that broke out at the port quarter in Taratala on late Tuesday night. No casualty has been reported so far in the incident.
This could have been a major accident as most of the residents were asleep when the fire broke out. Due to prompt intervention of locals, a major tragedy was averted.
Some of the locals spotted smoke billowing out of a residential flat of the port quarter near gate number 5 at around 1.40 am on Tuesday night and took part in the rescue operation. They alerted the inmates of the port quarter where nearly forty families have been staying. After coming to know about the fire, people evacuated their rooms and rushed to a safer place.
The fire soon spread from one room to the other. Locals tried to douse the flames but failed to do so due to the smoke.
Locals alleged that fire tenders were late as a result of which maximum damage took place. The fire fighters acted on a war footing and extinguished the fire. The fire was brought under control on early Wednesday morning. The people residing at the port quarter spent the night in the open air and witnessed how their houses were partially affected by the fire.
After being informed, senior police officers reached the spot and cordoned off the entire area. Traffic movement was also restricted for sometime in the wee hours. According to police, as many as 30 flats might have been affected by the fire.
Police and fire officials have started a probe in this regard. According to preliminary investigation, fire officials suspect that an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained.
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