Shanties gutted as fire breaks out

Kolkata: A fire near Santoshpur station under Budge Budge police station gutted several shanties on Saturday night. No casualty has been reported in the incident.

As many as six fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flames. The incident led to disruption of train services in the Sealdah-Budge Budge section on late Saturday night. Some passengers who were using the local trains to reach home had to face inconvenience due to the incident. Various local trains remained stranded at different stations.

The incident triggered panic among locals. The people living in the shanties

were evacuated.

Some locals took part in the rescue operation to ensure none is trapped inside.

An eyewitness told police the fire broke out at around 10 pm. As the area is situated close to the railway station, the railway authorities decided to stop running trains. Some residents spotted smoke billowing out the shanties and reported the matter to the police and

fire brigade.

After being informed police reached the spot and cordoned off the entire area.

The fire officials reached the spot and started the process of dousing the flames. They spotted the source of the fire. The situation was brought under control within an hour. Train services also resumed after over an hour.

According to the preliminary investigation, the fire officials and police suspect the fire might have been caused from the cooking gas. A detailed probe has been initiated. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained.

The shanties were, however, badly damaged in the fire. The fire officials and police collected samples from the spot to determine the cause of the fire.