Massive fire guts roadside shops in Beleghata, disrupts traffic for hours
Telegraph | 27 March 2025
Several roadside shops were gutted in a fire that broke out late Wednesday afternoon in Beleghata.
At least 15 fire tenders responded and brought the fire under control after almost two hours. Traffic was disrupted for around three hours as police regulated the movement of vehicles from Sealdah to facilitate the firefighting, which left a section of residents in adjoining houses and apartments in panic.
Eyewitnesses told the police the fire started in a roadside shop repairing cars and spread to a row of shops on a footpath adjoining the building that houses the commercial tax office in Beleghata, close to a factory manufacturing ice.
Some bystanders said several gas cylinders exploded as the fire spread.
“There were no casualties. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be identified. We expect the forensic experts to come on Thursday,” said an officer of Beleghata police station.
“A team from Kolkata Police’s disaster management group joined the firefighters,” the officer said.
Firefighters said the shops were stacked with flammable articles, including bamboo structures used to set up temporary structures, and the fire spread rapidly from one shop to another. Rows of corrugated tin shades covering the roofs were twisted in the heat that the fire generated in the afternoon.
“Five fire tenders initially reached the site. Later, several others arrived as the fire continued to rage. Some fire tenders were caught in a snarl on the Sealdah flyover,” said a fire and emergency department officer.
As the fire spread and dark fumes covered the area, traffic along Beleghata Main Road was diverted from the two ends of Sealdah and EM Bypass.