Twenty people were killed and six others injured in a devastating fire on the first two floors of a building housing a market, a godown and offices in Sealdah area in the metropolis in the early hours on Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Feb 27, 2013, 09:33 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Kolkata: Twenty people were killed and six others injured in a devastating fire on the first two floors of a building housing a market, a godown and offices in Sealdah area in the metropolis in the early hours on Wednesday.
West Bengal Disaster Management minister Javed Ahmed Khan told reporters here that 20 persons were killed in the blaze and six injured, with the condition of two critical.
The fire was detected at 3:50 AM in the 25-year-old Surya Sen Market complex when some shopkeepers and labourers working in the market were fast asleep, with the blaze spreading from ground floor to the floor above, vice-chairman of the market Sushanta Ghose said.
The staircase of the market was blocked with goods making it difficult for people trapped inside to escape, Ghose said.
He said there was only one proper entry and exit and though there was one emergency exit, it was not used for the last 15 years.
Local people said they were alerted by shouts of people trapped inside the building.
"When I came out of my house after hearing screams, I saw flames leaping out and people shouting from the windows," Ranjit Hazra, a resident of the area, said.
According to fire department officials, plastics, paper and cloth were stored in the godowns in the building.
The ground floor and the first floor which sustained the maximum damage housed 200 shops.
The Fire Services minister, who rushed to the spot and supervised fire-fighting operations, said firemen and police cordoned off the building and the blaze was brought under control in three hours by 26 fire-tenders.
The injured were rushed to state-run NRS and Medical
College Hospital and other government hospitals.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the spot, announced a compensation of Rs two lakh to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Banerjee also announced an inquiry with the report to be submitted in three days.
She said seventeen bodies have been identified and sent to their families.
The Fire Services minister said an FIR was lodged for gross negligence and for not having fire-fighting arrangements in the building.
He said the building did not have a caretaker.
A Kolkata Municipal Corporation official said one of the floors of the building was illegal while there were trade licences for only 136 shops in the market.
Trinamool Congress MLA Shikha Mitra alleged that she had written to the KMC about the situation in the building, but it did not pay heed.
Shopkeepers and local people said lack of fire-fighting arrangements and exit routes caused the high casualty.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.