A major fire broke out early today at a five-storey building in southern Kolkata, burning goods worth lakhs and destroying multiple shops next to the building, a senior fire department official said.
At least 19 fire tenders had been pressed into service to douse the fire at the Traders Assembly building in the Gariahat area after it was noticed around 1 am. The building houses a garment store on the ground and first floor and residential apartments on the floors above, the official told PTI.
All families have been evacuated from the building and no one was injured in the fire, the official said, adding that some people had to be taken to hospital after they complained of breathing problems.
"The building does not have an elevator and people had to climb down stairs to escape the fire," the official said.
The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, but it seems that fire from a shop on the footpath adjoining the building led to the incident, he said.
"At the moment, the fire has been brought under control. Our men are fighting tooth and nail to douse the fire pockets," the official said, adding that traffic movement have been temporarily restricted in the area.
Earlier, a fire department official had said that a blast in a transformer could have started the fire.
State Fire Minister Sujit Bose visited the site earlier in the day.
A team of forensic experts and senior officials of Kolkata Police Disaster Management Group have also reached the site to collect samples for investigation into the incident.
For more Kolkata news, click here
Man Fires At Girlfriend, Then Dies By Suicide At Kolkata Guest House: Cops Massive Fire At Kolkata Mall, 10 Fire Engines Deployed Major Fire At Kolkata's Park Street Area, 15 Fire Engines Deployed Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool This US City Has Been Declared America's Least Desirable, Survey Finds Gaza Ceasefire Talks Underway In Qatar As Deaths Top 40,000 Trump To Hold Press Conference, His Campaign Adds Senior Advisers Left, BJP, Creating Unrest: Mamata Banerjee On Midnight Attack At Hospital Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.