Kankurgachi: Five warehouses gutted

Kolkata: At least five warehouses were gutted in the Lohapatty area in Kankurgachi after a major fire broke out late on Wednesday night.

The fire was doused using 20 fire tenders after almost 12 hours. However, five fire tenders were still kept at the spot till night as a precautionary measure in case flames trigger from any pocket. One firefighter fell ill due to the smoke but became stable after first-aid.

Sources said, around 1:30 am on Wednesday night, fire broke out inside a warehouse of scrap iron. Due to storage of highly inflammable materials, the flames started spreading fast. Before the fire tenders arrived, fire had already spread to other warehouses. Initially, five fire tenders were pressed into action but later 15 more were added to the fleet in phases. Meanwhile, local residents came out of their residences in panic. The fire was controlled around 7 am on Thursday and doused completely in the afternoon. It is alleged that the factories and warehouses do not have any fire fighting management system. However, whether the warehouses were running legally, is not yet clear. The cause of fire and extent of damage are yet to be ascertained.