Kolkata: Major fire in building near Raj Bhavan, 15 tenders deployed

KOLKATA: A major fire broke out on the top floor of a multistoried building close to the Raj Bhavan in the city's centre on Wednesday morning...

The fire broke out at the terrace of the five-storied Saraf House and is spreading to other parts of the building, an official said.

Around 15 fire tenders and one 55m hydraulic ladder have been pressed into service by the fire brigade personnel to douse the blaze after it was reported at around 10.05 AM from the terrace of the building, the fire department official said.

There was no report of any casualty and the building as well as the adjacent ones were evacuated, he said.

A canteen is located on the terrace, while the top floor of the building houses about ten offices of private companies and a bank, a police officer said.

The building has a couple of other banks in its other stories, he said.

Governor C V Ananda Bose came out of the Raj Bhavan to have a look at the blaze. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the area to take stock of the situation.

State Fire Department Minister Sujit Bose, city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and other senior officers of Kolkata Police too rushed in.

"I came out to take a look at the fire. Raj Bhavan is ready to offer any help if there is any need for it. Firefighters are doing a fine job," the governor said.

"We are doing whatever it takes to douse the fire. We have employed one 55-metre hydraulic ladder. The cause of the fire is yet to be known," the fire department minister said.

Local councillor Santosh Pathak of Congress alleged that the fire broke out at the top floor of the building where illegal constructions were made.

He blamed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for taking no step to stop the illegal constructions despite several written complaints by him in 2016.

"The fire broke out at the top floor where illegal constructions were done and a canteen was operational without any proper fire safety arrangements," he alleged.

Locals said a loud noise was heard when the fire broke out and claimed that it was the sound of a gas cylinder exploding.

When contacted, city mayor Firhad Hakim said that he will look into the matter.