Eleven shops reduce to ashes in Keshtopur

Kolkata: Eleven shops were gutted at a massive fire that broke out at a temporary market beside the canal at Jagatpur in Keshtopur on Wednesday morning.

Some local residents saw the shops ablaze and alerted the residents of houses close to the market.

Eight fire tenders were pressed into action. The fire was controlled after almost two hours.

According to sources, around 4 am on Wednesday, fire broke out at a shop located at the canal side temporary market in Jagatpur. But since the area was deserted, the flames could not be traced initially. Within a few minutes the fire started spreading due to the wind flow.

A shopkeeper, who used to stay inside his shop at night in the same location, woke up as he fell unusually hot.

As soon as he saw the fire, he alerted others who also stayed in their shops for security reasons. Local residents alerted those who lived opposite to the market.

Meanwhile, officials of Baguiati police station and fire brigade were informed. Within 15 minutes five fire tenders were pressed into action. Later, three more fire tenders were sent. Fire was controlled around 6 am.

The cooling process went on for a few more hours due to possibility of pocket fire. Fire brigade officials suspect that the fire had occurred due to short circuit.

As the market is a temporary one and there was no fire fighting management system in place.

Sources informed that there was no nod from the civil and police administration for setting up the market.

A few years ago, Mridha Market, a similar market located at the canal side a bit far from Jagatpur, had caught fire. The market reduced to ashes in a fire that broke out late night.

In another incident, a West Bengal Transport Corporation bus caught fire around 6:50 pm on Wednesday.

The bus was moving towards Nicco Park from Sushrut Island with 35 passengers. The driver noticed smoke coming out from the engine. He stopped the bus immediately and evacuated the passengers to safety. After the passengers got down, the fire intensified. The fire brigade was immediately informed. One fire tender doused the fire in half-an-hour. No casualty was reported in the incident.

Apart from these two incidents, fire broke out on the eighth floor of a 10-storied building on Remount Road opposite to the Kantapukur police morgue around 6:30 pm on Wednesday. Six fire tenders brought the fire under control by 8:20 pm. None was hurt in the incident. The cause of fire could not be ascertained.