Fire breaks out in Kolkata airport

KOLKATA: A fire broke out near a departure gate of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday night, officials said.

Firefighting arrangements were pressed into service to douse the blaze as panic-stricken passengers were moved to a safe place, they said.

No casualty was reported, officials.

The entire area inside the airport was engulfed with thick black smoke after the fire broke out at portal D near 3C departure gate at around 9.12 pm. The fire was fully extinguished by 9:40 PM. "Since there was a rush of passengers, airport authorities took no chance and used their firefighters to douse it. At the moment, it is under control and the cooling process is being done," a police officer said.

Officials said after an initial investigation that short circuit could be the reason for the fire. In a tweet, the authorities stated, ''All passengers have been safely evacuated, and the check-in process has been temporarily suspended due to the presence of smoke in the area. Check-in operations will resume by 10:15 PM.''