A massive fire broke out at a tannery in Kolkata on Saturday evening and has been raging on for more than 10 hours now.
A major fire broke out at a tannery cum godown in the congested Tangra area of Kolkata on Saturday evening, a senior official of the fire department said. Altogether 15 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames that spread to an adjacent building which has been evacuated.
Two fire officials were injured while fighting the blaze and they were hospitalised, the official said.
Several other nearby houses were also evacuated. The fire broke out at around 6.30 PM at a building, used as a tannery, on 3 Maher Ali Lane in the area. It is not yet known whether any person is stuck inside.
"The cause of the fire is not yet known. Our personnel is working on a war footing to douse it. There were chemicals, rexin, and clothes stored inside the building, which helped the fire spread quickly," the official said. The boundary wall of the tannery has collapsed.
Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose reached the place and supervised the rescue operations. "Our officers are trying to douse the fire. This is a congested area. It's quite tough for the fire tenders to enter the narrow lanes. However, they are trying their best," Bose told reporters.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up Bose and enquired about the situation. Local people who had initially alleged that fire brigade personnel were late in reaching the area later helped them in the rescue operation.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, tweeted a video of locals helping refill a fire tender with water and criticized the role of the department in carrying out the rescue operation.
"Egiye Bangla in disastrous Disaster Management. Shame shame @MamataOfficial. The Fire & Emergency Services Department's efficiency has gone down during your tenure," Adhikari tweeted.
“Egiye Bangla" (Bengal surges ahead) is the official website of the state government. Local Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay also visited the spot.
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 "Flames continue to rage at Kolkata tannery for 10 hours, 2 fire officials injured")
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