Blaze in plastic unit near Bypass, worker injured after jumping off burning building
Times of India | 8 July 2024
Kolkata: A worker jumped off a three-storey plastic factory after the building at Chowbhaga off EM Bypass caught fire on Sunday evening. The man, Gopal Das, was admitted to a private hospital with multiple injuries as eight fire tenders worked on the site till late on Sunday.
The plastic factory was located in a three-storey building near the China Temple area of West Chowbhaga around 5.15pm.The factory operations were conducted on the top two floors of the building. The fire broke out suddenly on Sunday afternoon and quickly spread, engulfing the factory in flames and covering the surroundings in black smoke.
As soon as the fire started, locals first tried to douse the flames with buckets of water. However, the intensity of the fire was such that it could not be controlled.
The building where the fire broke out was adjacent to many other houses, raising concerns that the fire might spread to those buildings as well.
“People from those houses were evacuated quickly. Strong winds made it difficult for us to control the blaze, but we were able to bring the blaze under control by 7pm,” said a fire official.
Fire officials said they are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire as locals reported that the factory was closed on Sunday. The factory stored many flammable materials, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
There have been several major fire incidents in Kolkata in the last few weeks - at Park Street, a Kasba shopping mall, a 100-year-old building near Bankshall Court and Mehta building.