Minister: Forensics to ascertain cause of Ultadanga slum fire

Kolkata: Tension spread in Ultadanga area under jurisdiction of Maniktala Police Station after fire broke out at a slum near the Railway track on Sunday morning.

Six fire tenders doused the flames after almost two hours. No injury was reported. Sources said, around 7 am on Sunday, a fire broke out at a shanty in a slum located on Ultadanga Main Road. Within a few moments the fire started spreading to adjacent shanties. After a while, three fire tenders were pressed into action. As the fire was spreading after half an hour, three more fire tenders were sent. After almost two hours, the fire was doused.

Meanwhile, state Fire and Emergency Services minister, Sujit Bose reached the spot and took stock of the situation. Local MLA Supti Pandey also rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation. The minister said: “It is a big slum. The fire could have spread further but due to the efforts of the firefighters, major damage was averted. Local MLA and the KMC representative will help those affected by the fire. There were several flammable materials here, including cotton and plastic. Fortunately, there are no reports of casualties.”

The minister also informed that a forensic examination will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire.