3rd fire in 12 days singes building in central Kolkata heritage zone

KOLKATA: A fire in a building in the Dalhousie heritage zone in the early hours of Saturday gutted the top two floors along with wooden staircases and partially damaged several offices on the premises.
Eight fire-tenders took around two hours to douse the blaze, which broke out around 4 am. Nobody was injured but a part of the roof collapsed and the wooden stairs were completely gutted, local councillor Santosh Pathak said.At night, the embers flared up again, causing panic. Five fire engines were again rushed to control the fire.
This is the third fire in the city in last 12 days. A blaze gutted a cafe on Park Street on June 11. Another fire broke out in a bookstore at Acropolis Mall on June 14.

Fire-fighters said the building at 5 Garstin Place behind Nicco House off Hare Street, which is more than 100-year-old, not only lacked fire safety measures but the road leading to it did not have adequate space to park more than one fire engine, making the rescue operation difficult.
The building housed offices of over 15 advocates along with courier companies, office of a chemical company and godowns on the ground floor. It was also house to 12 families. Most of them stayed in rooms on the terrace.
Some of the residents spotted the fire and alerted others. They evacuated the building on time before the wooden stairs were completely gutted.
"We managed to escape as soon as somebody spotted the fire and alerted us. We rushed out through very thick smoke. A delay of even 10 minutes could have proved fatal as the wooden stairs got gutted soon after we managed to rush out," said Anup Singh, a resident of the building.
According to preliminary investigation by fire department officials, the blaze started due to a short-circuit in an AC. "A forensic team will collect samples to determine the exact cause of fire," said an official.
Fire minister Sujit Bose, who visited the spot, said: "A committee will carry out the probe to determine the exact cause of fire."
People who worked in different offices in the building reached their work place at the designated time but could not get in. "My office is on the ground floor. It has not been affected by fire but the fire-fighters are not allowing us inside," said Pinaki Banerjee, who works in the courier office.
Pathak alleged that fire engines arrived at least "30 to 40 minutes late" when the fire had already spread to other parts of the building. "The nearest fire station is hardly four to five minutes away. But the fire trucks arrived at least 30 to 40 minutes late. By then, the fire had spread to other parts of the building, damaging offices and residences," said Pathak.
Fire department denied such claims. "We reached the spot within a few minutes of getting the information," said a senior official.