Goods worth lakhs were gutted, while multiple shops were destroyed after a massive fire broke out at a five-storey building in southern Kolkata early Sunday, a senior fire department official said. The incident was reported from Traders Assembly building in Gariahat area.
At least 19 fire tenders had been pressed into service to douse the flames after it was noticed around 1 am. The building houses a garment store on the ground and first floor and residential apartments on the floors above, the official said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, he said, adding all families have been evacuated from the building. Some people had to be taken to the hospital after they complained of breathing problems, the official said.
"The building does not have an elevator and people had to climb down stairs to escape the fire," he said.
The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, but it seems that fire from a shop on the footpath adjoining the building led to the incident, he said.
"At the moment, the fire has been brought under control. Our men are fighting tooth and nail to douse the fire pockets," the official said, adding that traffic movement have been temporarily restricted in the area.
Earlier, a fire department official had said that a blast in a transformer could have started the fire.
State Fire Minister Sujit Bose visited the site earlier on Sunday.
A team of forensic experts and senior officials of Kolkata Police Disaster Management Group have also reached the site to collect samples for investigation into the incident.
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