A massive fire in the heart of the city triggered panic among shop owners and residents of BB Ganguly Street this morning.
The fire started at a busy hour in the central business pocket of the city at a furniture shop at a place that accommodates a cluster of other such commercial units. The fire occurred at around 10 a.m. when the day had just begun for scores of businessmen in the area with flames were noticed at the furniture shop. The shooting flames from the shop located at a place which accommodates several old structures both commercial and residential, spread to the adjacent shops in no time with great intensity.
One of the residents from the neighbouring building also claimed the fire to have spread to her residential premise. The occupants of the building hurried down in panic fearing for their life as thick black columns of smoke covered the spaces in the surroundings.
According to the officials of the state fire and emergency services, at least 10 fire engines were deployed to douse the blaze. However, narrow and congested lanes, presence of inflammable stocks piled up at the shop coupled with north-westerly winds hindered the fire fighting task in the heavily congested area.
According to one of the workers of the shop, they were busy working when they noticed flames inside the shop and rushed outside. The workers and other neighbouring shop owners jointly tried to douse the flames initially until the fleet of fire engines arrived. Within a few minutes, the shooting tongues of flames spread to other two shops and engulfed the three shops in no time. Few minutes later, the fire further spread to a residential premise in the neighbourhood.
According to the state fire and emergency services, Sujit Bose, the fire broke out at a furniture shop behind which there was a furniture shop. No casualties were reported in the incident while the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained.