About an hour after the city settled in after feeling minor tremors yet again, a major fire broke out a shopping mall in the city’s iconic New Market area on Sunday.
The fire, which broke out at around 11.45 a.m. at the second floor of Citi Mart, was brought under control at about 5.30 p.m. with the help of 27 fire engines and two sky ladders. Drones were also deployed to assess the extent of damage caused to the building.
However, there are concerns that pockets of fire may still persist in some parts of the building which may take more time to douse.
While no casualties were reported, three fire fighters took ill as the area was engulfed in thick smoke. Customers and store personnel were evacuated as soon as the fire alarm went off.
Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee visited the spot along with State Disaster Management Minister Javed Ahmed Khan earlier in the day.
Stating that all steps were being taken to bring the fire under control, Mr. Chatterjee said: “It doesn’t seem that anyone is trapped in the fire... but we can give you a full report only after some time. I have informed the Chief Minister [Mamata Banerjee] about the fire.”
Fire tenders faced difficulty in bringing the fire under control as the area was engulfed in thick black smoke reducing visibility. Citi Mart staff estimated the damage caused due to the fire worth crores of rupees.
The fire had reportedly spread to the neighbouring New Empire cinema theatre.
