New Year gets a fiery start

A fire at Apeejay House created a panic amid New Year revelries in Park Street on Sunday.

A fire at Apeejay House created a panic amid New Year revelries in Park Street on Sunday.

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The blaze was detected around mid-day, when the numerous surrounding eateries were packed with people. The server room of Kotak Mahindra’s office, housed in the seventh floor of the building, was gutted.

“Had it been a working day, many people would have been injured,” said Tarun Kr Dutta, officer-in-charge, fire department. Eight fire engines and two engines of special gas were pressed into service, but it took several hours to bring the fire under control.

The Apeejay House is a stone’s throw from the Stephen Court building, where 43 people died in a fire in 2010. Another small blaze was detected around 1.45 pm at Sealdah’s Purabi cinema hall.