A major fire broke out in Kolkata’s Burrabazar area engulfing the multi-storey Bagree Market in the small hours of Sunday bringing back the horrible memories of the Nanadram Market and Stephen House fire about a decade ago.
Though there was no report of any casualty — till reports last came in — the fire that was threatening to leap on to the adjacent buildings — about 16 hours after it broke out in Asia’s second largest whole-sale facility — continued to rage triggering a series of high-intensity blasts perhaps in gas cylinders or air-conditioning machines to cause numerous cracks on the walls of the 150 year old structure, sources said.
Though 30 fire engines had been pressed into service to douse the leaping inferno that had licked up almost all of the 400 wholesale markets destroying articles worth crores ahead of the busy Durga Puja season the congested road made the task of the firefighters all the more difficult.
“We have been trying to use the hydraulic ladder but there is no way to let them in as this part of the Canning Street is so narrow,” a senior Fire official said informing most of the shops dealt in medicine and perfumes.
The fire broke out in the ground floor first at about 2.30 am on Sunday, before climbing on to the higher storeys sources said.
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who went abroad in a business summit this morning was very concerned about the fire and had asked all the officials and ministers to use all means to bring the fire under control,” senior minister Partho Chatterjee said on Sunday evening.
The Chief Minister said “we have taken complete information. No one is trapped inside. I have instructed the officials and ministers to do everything possible to arrest the fire.”
Kolkata Mayor and State Fire Minister Sovan Chatterjee said, “we are trying our best to douse the fire but the area is so narrow that fire engines cannot be maneuvered freely,” not ruling out a complete collapse of the seven-storey building in case the fire lingered for another few hours.
Experts who had in 2008 taken part in fighting the Nandram Market fire about 200 metres away from the present site said the fire was unlikely to be arrested before 24 another hours as it had engulfed the back portions of the gigantic building too.
Large portions of north-western Kolkata including Strand Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road and witnessed hours of traffic jam and the mess was expected to rise on the first working day of the week on Monday, police said.