Panchayat office building gutted, important docus burnt

Kolkata: Several important documents were burnt after a Panchayat office building was gutted in Khanakul of Hooghly on Friday morning.

Multiple fire tenders were pressed into action and the flames were doused after almost three hours.

On Friday morning, local residents of Arunda village in Khanakul block 1 noticed smoke coming out from the first floor of the office building. Within moments, flames were seen raging out breaking the window panes. Police and fire brigade personnel were informed by the locals. The residents tried to control the flames but in vain. The fire tenders from Arambag arrived and started work. However, a lot of damage had happened by then.

It is suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit. However, a section of the locals suspect sabotage behind the incident. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained. Fire brigade officials will be visiting the spot again to identify why it happened.