Major fire at Kolkata’s Ezra Street, 300 shops gutted, 20 fire engines pressed into action

Twenty fire engines are pressed into action to douse the fire that reportedly broke out due to a short circuit.

Officials said the blaze spread fast as the buildings that housed shops, and godowns for electrical goods and wooden plywood were situated close to each other along the narrow lanes of Ezra Street.

Twenty fire engines are pressed into action to douse the fire that reportedly broke out due to a short circuit. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

“Initially, six fire engines were pressed into action. But as the fire began to spread, more engines were deployed. As the entire area was covered in black smoke, the fire department brought in a smoke sucker to help firefighters enter the buildings. There were a lot of combustible materials inside the shops. We believe the fire spread from a short circuit, but right now the main focus is to bring it under control. Later investigation will be carried out,” said a senior Fire and Emergency Services officer.

Officials have closed all roads in and around the area to allow fire engines to move freely.

Local councillor Santosh Pathak blamed the authorities’ callous attitude for the mishap. “I have written so many times to the local authorities and the police in the past 22 years regarding poor safety standards of the building. But no steps were taken,” he told reporters.

Last week, a fire broke out at a godown in Central Kolkata’s R N Mukherjee Road. The godown, storing computers, motors, and car parts, was part of an old multi-storey building with narrow access lanes. It was located barely 200 metres from Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police Headquarters.