Part of Kolkata’s 144-year-old New Market gutted in blaze

A major fire on Monday devastated a wholesale market for potatoes and onions in the extended part of the 144-year-old iconic Sir Stuart Hogg Market popularly known as New Market in the city. However, nobody was injured in the fire, officials said.

Fire brigade officials said the blaze began around 12.43pm and 20 fire engines were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. It took two hours to douse the blaze.

According to officials, the fire damaged the entire 12,000 sq ft market on the <g data-gr-id="33">Finik</g> Bazar Road, which is behind the main market.About 38 stalls inside and 20-22 stalls outside the market were gutted in the fire.

"Nobody was injured in the fire as everybody inside the market were evacuated on time. Our officers responded well to the situation and that is the reason the fire was brought under control so fast and it could not spread," Director General of fire services Sanjoy Mukherjee said.

Besides <g data-gr-id="27">Mukerjee</g> and other senior divisional officers, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee rushed to the spot.

Locals alleged that fire engines reached the spot late which allowed the blaze to spread. The allegation was dismissed by fire brigade officials who said the congestion in the area made it difficult to reach the place.

Monday’s fire was the second major one in the New Market area in about a month. A shopping mall in the area had been damaged in a fire last month.