Kolkata:
A fire broke out in the 138-year-old historic New Market in the heart of the city on Wednesday night and was doused after an hour, police said. There are no reports of any casualty.
Around 20 fire tenders brought the situation under control after fighting the flames for over an hour, an officer in the city police control room said.
"So far, there are no reports of any casualty or anybody trapped in the fire," the officer said.
"The flower section inside the market caught fire. Some florists' shops and dry fruit stalls were heavily damaged," he said.
Soon after the news of the fire in the city's oldest municipal market spread, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the spot and supervised the firefighting operation. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee also went to the scene.
The Gothic architecture market complex was built by the then rulers British in 1873 to cater to their needs. Till some time back, the New Market - also called Hogg Market after then Calcutta Municipal Corporation chairman Sir Stewart Hogg - was the haunt of all fashionable Kolkatans. It is a heritage structure.