Kolkata: Two eateries and a tea stall were gutted after a fire broke out on the ground floor of a building adjacent to the City Centre Mall in Salt Lake on Saturday evening.
People, who were headed to the mall and those in other eateries in the vicinity, scrambled to safety as glass panes on the first floor of the building came crashing down. Nobody was injured in the fire.
Three fire tenders, which were aided by the fire-fighting system of the mall, took around half an hour to bring the blaze under control.
The affected shops, in DC block, used to sell fast food items. The tea stall that was gutted was in front of these shops.
Fire services minister Sujit Bose visited the spot and ordered the officials to investigate if the building lacked any fire safety measures.
“The fire broke around 4.40pm when the place was abuzz with a lot of activity. Many people were headed to the mall and others were inside the eateries in the vicinity. Everybody rushed to safety and were panicked,” said a shop owner outside the City Centre.