Fire at Kolkata showroom, 22 cars gutted; no casualties reported
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Kolkata: A major fire broke out at a car showroom in Bankra near the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on the northern outskirts of Kolkata early Monday morning, gutting 22 new cars and badly damaging eight others.
No casualties were reported in the incident, although the fire assumed an alarming proportion in the early hours.
Eight fire tenders were deployed at the site and, after hours of firefighting, managed to bring the blaze under control. At the time of filing this report, cooling operations were underway, with firefighters checking for any hidden pockets of fire inside the completely gutted showroom.
A state Fire Services Department official said the blaze was first spotted by local residents at around 5 a.m.
“The nearest fire services station was informed immediately, and five fire tenders reached the spot and started the fire-fighting exercise. Later, three other fire tenders joined,” the official said.
“Initially, our task was difficult as we had to concentrate simultaneously on dousing the showroom fire and also prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent constructions. Since the entry point to the showroom was quite narrow, our men faced some initial difficulties. However, the situation is under control now,” the official added.
Questions have now been raised over whether the showroom had an adequate fire-fighting system in place. Fire officials said no one from the service centre was found at the scene throughout the firefighting operation.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation. Once the showroom authorities are questioned, it will be clear whether there were adequate fire-safety measures in the showroom or not,” the Fire Services Department official said.
The incident comes amid concerns over major fire incidents in West Bengal earlier this month. Two hotel fires in the state claimed 18 lives, with nine deaths reported in each incident.
The first fire broke out at Hotel Bideshini in Tarapith in Birbhum district, near the iconic Goddess Tara temple.
The second incident occurred at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata, where nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, were killed.
With IANS inputs