Kolkata: Massive fire breaks out at New Market

Just a fortnight after a major fire engulfed a shopping mall at New Market, another fire broke out at the fish market at the same shopping complex in Kolkata on Monday morning which gutted around 100 shops.

As many as 22 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and Disaster Management Group officials worked with the state fire department officials to finally douse the fire around 2pm. 

While the fire tenders reached the spot on time, officials faced a lot of difficulty in reaching the market as the roads were very narrow and dingy. 

Locals also played a vital role in dousing the fire. Fire officials could not reach the back side of the market and locals, including elderly women, carried buckets full of water to help put out the fire. 

Around 12.30pm, shopkeepers spotted a fire at the fish market and informed the fire services department. Besides the fish market being reduced to ashes, the adjoining shops of potato wholesalers, were reduced to mounds of rubble. 

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, DG of State Fire Services Department and other senior officials of the Kolkata Police were at the spot. Asked whether or not the market was illegal, the mayor said, “Our priority is to arrest the fire. Once we bring the situation under control, then we will find out the cause of the fire.” 

The local MLA, Nayana Bandyapadhyay received a lot of flak from the locals for reaching the spot very late. 

Meanwhile, there are no reports of any casualties so far. The Fire Department and the Kolkata Police have begun the investigation into the case.