E-Paper
Massive fire breaks out at a Kolkata guest house, fire tenders on the spot
Three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, which was first reported around 1 PM.
A fire broke out at Kolkata’s Blue Cherry Guest House on the top floor of a four-storey building in south Kolkata on Thursday afternoon
A senior police officer quoted in a PTI report said that there was no immediate report of any loss of life.
The fire was first reported around 1 PM on Thursday, after which three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze.
According to the officer, the blaze triggered panic among people at the guesthouse in the Anawar Shah Road area of the state capital, as smoke was seen billowing out of the building.
"Firefighting is underway. We are ensuring that no one is trapped inside the building," the officer said.
Prima facie, the fire broke out due to an electrical short circuit, he added.
Fire concerns after heavy rain disruption
Kolkata and West Bengal are already experiencing disruptions due to recent torrential rains ahead of Durga Puja. The recent fire incident has added to the people's massive concerns.
At least 11 people have died in a heavy downpour which lashed Kolkata and nearby areas on the morning of September 23. While nine people died of electrocution in the city since Tuesday, two deaths were reported in neighbouring districts.
The downpour — 251.4 mm in less than 24 hours — was the highest since 1986 and the sixth-highest single-day rainfall in the last 137 years, only behind the record 369.6 mm in 1978, 253 mm in 1888, and 259.5 mm in 1986.
It turned arterial roads into rivers, snapped Metro Rail and train services, and threw air travel into disarray as the city gasped for normalcy ahead of Bengal's biggest festival, Durga Puja.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh for each of the kin of the deceased who lost their lives due to an electrocution incident.
