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Building blaze kills 10 in downtown Kolkata

People crowd a road as fire personnel try to douse a major fire that broke out in a multi-storey building at Park Street in Kolkata on Tuesday. — PTI Firefighters rescue a woman from the building in Kolkata on Tuesday. — PTI

Kolkata, March 23
At least 10 persons were killed and 30 injured when a devastating blaze swept through three floors of a 150-year-old multi-storey building housing offices and residences on the upscale Park Street on Tuesday.

While six persons died either by jumping from the burning floors of the building, Stephen Court, or sustaining burns earlier in the day, four bodies were found charred late tonight, fire brigade sources told PTI. “The firemen were conducting routine checks whether the fire has been totally doused when they detected four bodies lying in the sixth floor. They were charred beyond recognition,” the sources said.

“As many as 22 persons, including a 90-year-old woman, were rescued from the inferno,” said Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee.

The fire, which could have been caused by an electrical short circuit or bursting of a gas cylinder, broke out at 2 pm on the first floor and spread to the third, he said.

A 70-metre ladder, the world’s second tallest, was being used to rescue the trapped people while 45 fire engines were deployed, Chatterjee said.

Ladders were put up by firemen to rescue people who had scrambled out from windows on ledges of the building next to Music World Store and confectioners Flurys.

“It’s an old building and its fire-resistance capacity is not known. I can’t say if the building can be saved considering the degree of devastation,” he said.

Chatterjee said fire fighters rescued the trapped persons one by one and there was no lack of water to fight the fire. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I spoke to the Defence Ministry for sending the army. The Defence Ministry has issued instructions for same.

“The West Bengal government should have sought the help of the Army, but I don’t know why they have not done it,” she told reporters at the scene of the fire. Banerjee said she also spoke to the Union Home Ministry and sought the help of the Disaster Management team to rescue the trapped people.

Alleging that the state government did not have a disaster management system and had failed to control the blaze, she said she had also directed the Railway Disaster Management teams from the Metro Railway, Eastern and South Eastern Railways to rescue the trapped people.

The director of fire services department, two deputy directors and two divisional officers were camping at Park Street which was closed to traffic. — PTI