Fire in Kolkata’s iconic Chatterjee Int’ building leaves 4 injured, evokes Stephen Court blaze
4 Sept 2014 4:33 AM IST
At least 15 fire-tenders rushed to the spot and controlled the blaze in over three hours. More than 10 offices were damaged. The police also deployed a drone which landed on the top most floor to gauge the situation.
The four were among eight people, who were trapped inside the 24-floor building and were seen frantically waving clothes and throwing paper to attract the attention of rescuers after the fire broke out at around 8.30 am on Tuesday morning.
A Disaster Management Group personnel and firefighters rushed them to nearby hospitals from where they were discharged after treatment, Kolkata Police informed. Black fumes were first seen billowing out of the 15th floor of the building on Jawaharlal Nehru Road- one of the oldest highrises in Kolkata. The fire later spread to the 16th floor. However, some eye witnesses claimed that the fire began from an office situated on the 14th floor.
Fire Services Minister Javed Ahmed Khan, Housing Minister Arup Biswas and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee visited the spot.The busy Park street flyover, which was closed to traffic after the blaze started, was thrown open around 11 a.m.’The fire has been doused. The firefighters are now looking for any remnants of the fire in any corner of the affected floors. The building is also being cooled by spraying water,’ said a fire brigade officer.
The authorities and those whose offices are situated in the building - constructed in 1976 - breathed a sigh of relief at the fire breaking out before office hours. ‘We could have seen a repeat of the Stephen Court tragedy or even worse involving loss of a large number of human lives had the fire started even one and half hours later during office time,’ said an eye-witness.
The four were among eight people, who were trapped inside the 24-floor building and were seen frantically waving clothes and throwing paper to attract the attention of rescuers after the fire broke out at around 8.30 am on Tuesday morning.
A Disaster Management Group personnel and firefighters rushed them to nearby hospitals from where they were discharged after treatment, Kolkata Police informed. Black fumes were first seen billowing out of the 15th floor of the building on Jawaharlal Nehru Road- one of the oldest highrises in Kolkata. The fire later spread to the 16th floor. However, some eye witnesses claimed that the fire began from an office situated on the 14th floor.
Fire Services Minister Javed Ahmed Khan, Housing Minister Arup Biswas and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee visited the spot.The busy Park street flyover, which was closed to traffic after the blaze started, was thrown open around 11 a.m.’The fire has been doused. The firefighters are now looking for any remnants of the fire in any corner of the affected floors. The building is also being cooled by spraying water,’ said a fire brigade officer.
The authorities and those whose offices are situated in the building - constructed in 1976 - breathed a sigh of relief at the fire breaking out before office hours. ‘We could have seen a repeat of the Stephen Court tragedy or even worse involving loss of a large number of human lives had the fire started even one and half hours later during office time,’ said an eye-witness.
Next Story
