Fire guts Bowbazar furniture shop, families vacate buildings
Times of India | 15 January 2026
Kolkata: A fire broke out on Wednesday morning at a ground-floor furniture shop on BB Ganguly Street in central Kolkata, gutting the establishment and partially damaging three adjoining shops, while forcing dozens of families in nearby residential buildings to evacuate amid thick smoke and panic.
The blaze was reported around 10.50 am at a furniture shop at 42/3, BB Ganguly Street, a few metres from Bowbazar Police Station. Eleven fire tenders took over four hours to bring the blaze under control as flames spread rapidly in the congested lane, a stretch behind Bow Barracks that houses several commercial establishments and residences.
The furniture shop was completely destroyed in the fire, while three neighbouring shops suffered partial damage. Cops said information on injuries or possible entrapment was yet to be ascertained.
Employees working inside the shop said, they first noticed smoke and sparks while handling furniture. "We tried using fire extinguishers, but within minutes the flames went out of control," said a worker. The staff managed to evacuate in time, and some workers, along with local residents, attempted to move furniture out of the premises before the fire intensified.
The smoke soon spread through adjoining buildings, prompting panic among residents. More than two dozen families living in nearby structures self-evacuated after noticing smoke entering their homes. Many residents were stranded on the street for hours as firefighting operations continued.
Mohammad Jabbar, a resident of 43, BB Ganguly Street, said his family rushed out as soon as they realised the danger. "We smelled smoke and then saw it coming into our rooms. We just grabbed our documents and left," said Jabbar.
Another resident, Minal Seth said,"Many children had just returned from school and could not even enter their homes. Elderly people were extremely scared and had difficulty moving."
Several families, including those with young children, were taken to relatives' houses and asked to wait until the fire department declared the buildings safe. By late afternoon, many residents were still awaiting clearance to return home.
Fire officials said operations were hampered by narrow access roads and cluttered interiors filled with combustible materials.
Police cordoned off BB Ganguly Street and diverted traffic for several hours, throwing movement out of gear in the central business district until around 2 pm.