A massive fire broke out in an under-construction restaurant at Park Centre, a multi-storied building in Kolkata’s Park Street area, at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Minister of Fire and Emergency Services Sujit Bose has confirmed that there have been no casualties so far.
Eleven fire engines were engaged to bring the fire under control. “Everyone was evacuated and currently there is no one inside,” Deputy Police Commissioner of the South Division Priyabrata Roy said. He added that a forensic examination would be carried out later at the site of the fire to ascertain the source.
“We cannot confirm the source of the fire with absolute certainty,” Mr. Bose told the media on Monday. By noon, he confirmed the fire has been contained and will not spread further.
Locals residing or working near the Park Centre were left panicked at the possibility of the blaze spreading into adjacent buildings. Many residents and office employees promptly evacuated from nearby buildings and waited out on the street as the firefighters brought the fire under control.
Park Street and its adjoining Camac Street, which are the hubs of offices, retail stores, and restaurants, were barricaded during peak rush hour to divert traffic and facilitate the firefighting efforts.
According to sources in Park Centre, the fire had broken out in a restaurant that has been closed for the last five months for construction.
This incident brings back memories from March 2010 when a massive blaze at Stephen Court in Park Street had claimed 43 lives. In the following year, in December 2011, as many as 90 people were consumed in a blaze at AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata’s Dhakuria.
