Fire breaks out at factory-cum-warehouse in Chitpur

Kolkata: A major fire broke out at a factory-cum-warehouse at Nawab Patty in Chitpur area on Monday afternoon. 15 fire tenders doused the fire after almost five hours.

According to sources, on Monday around 12:15 pm, residents of Nawab Patty area saw smoke coming out of the factory where bags from plastic are being manufactured. Immediately the workers inside were alerted and the factory cum warehouse were evacuated.

Within 15 minutes the fire started spreading. As there are two residential buildings on both sides of the factory, residents of those houses were also evacuated.

Meanwhile, Chitpur police station and fire brigade were informed. Initially six fire tenders were pressed into action but later nine more fire tenders were sent. As the roads were narrow, fire fighters faced difficulties while dousing the flames. To control the fire, fire fighters divided into four teams and started spraying water from the rooftops of the adjacent buildings. The Disaster Management Group of Kolkata Police was called in.

While fire fighters were spraying water, a portion inside the building collapsed and it became difficult to douse the fire on that portion. Later a group of fire fighters dressed in fire proof suits went inside and cleared some debris following which the fire fighting process took pace.

Kamalesh Mishra, a local resident alleged that a few years ago a fire had broken out in the same factory. Despite the factory being located within a residential area, no fire fighting management system is there to avoid major accidents. Fire brigade officials and police came to know that on Sunday night raw materials for the manufacturing of plastic bags had been stored and work was going on since midnight.

Fire brigade officials will visit the spot again to ascertain the cause of fire and for checking of documents such as licence, no objections certificates later. Legal action may be taken against the owner of the factory if any irregularity is found.