Property worth crores was destroyed after a massive fire broke out at an oil godown at Kalachara under Chanditala in Hooghly district early on Wednesday morning. Thirteen fire tenders doused the flames after a struggle for several hours.
As the godown was used to store oil, the fire spread rapidly and the flames leapt up the entire godown.
The fire was first spotted by the security guards at the godown around 4 am.
Initially, six fire tenders rushed to the spot from Chanditala and nearby areas.
But with the fire spreading rapidly, soon seven more fire tenders were rushed in from Kolkata and Howrah.
Firemen had a tough time in dousing the flames. The fire tenders also ran out of water and had to draw water from nearby ponds to contain the raging flames.
Fire officials said that there was some fire safety measures installed at the godown but that was far less than what is required for a oil storage facility of this size.
Preliminary reports suggest that the fire was caused by a short-circuit. No injuries have been reported in the incident as the godown was shut when the fire broke out. Also, the godown is located away from residential areas.