Fire breaks out in Kolkata’s Bagree market, no casualty

Kolkata: Close on the heels of the collapse of Majherhat Bridge in Taratola anther disaster struck the city early on Sunday when a devastating fire destroyed multi-storeyed Bagree Market in Burrabazar of central Kolkata leaving six persons injured including two fire brigade personnel. Although 18 hours have passed, the blaze, which broke out at around 2.30 am at the six-storeyed market building housing nearly 1000 business establishments of various sizes on Canning Street, is still out of control despite the deployment of 30 fire engines. Storage of highly combustible items have aggravated the situation only, according to the fire brigade officials much contrary to a section of traders' allegation of subotage. Director General (fire and emergency services) Jag Mohan said, “Chemicals and plastic materials have been stocked at the building making it tough to control the fire.”

He added, “It is a big fire. So it will take at least 24-48 hours to control the situation.” The blaze has revived the horror of the four-day long inferno at Nandaram Market in the same commercial zone in January of 2008.

The six injured were Abdullah Saib (30) of Canning Street, Rezwan Elahi (42) and his brother Resbon Elahi (42) of Mcleod Street, Sudip Kumar Mahato (21), Souvick Ghosh (38) of Manicktala Fire Station and Pravash Mallick (32) of Lalbazar Fire Station. The Kolkata Police said that the six persons fell sick due to smoke before being treated and discharged from Calcutta Medical College.

In the afternoon defeaning sounds of some explosions, suspected to be of LPG cylinder burst, at the market building shook the area. In the evening a hydraulic ladder was also pressed into service. But the dingy lanes and bylanes has posed a challenge to the fire brigade.