A report of A devastating fire
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KOLKATA: A devastating fire at the large Kadamtala market in Howrah early on Saturday gutted nearly 60 shops and led to losses worth crores. A man identified as Sunil Pal received injuries when he tried to enter his shop and retrieve the cash box. He has been admitted to the Howrah District Hospital where doctors said that his condition is stable. As many as 14 fire tenders worked for several hours to bring the fire under control. Two firefighters also suffered burns to their hands.
Prima facie, the cause seems to be an electrical short circuit. The fire started around 5 am and spread very fast, engulfing several shops. We reacted immediately and fire tenders reached the spot. Fighting the fire was difficult though due to the congestion and narrow lanes and by-lanes in the market. It was also a problem as many shops stocked inflammable goods. It took nearly four hours to control the blaze," a fire department official said.
The Kadamtala market is spread across nearly 36 bighas. According to the fire department, the market has no fire prevention measures or fire fighting equipment. The electricity cables are also not drawn properly. Had the fire started a couple of hours later, the effects could have been deadly as people would have got trapped, the official said. Senior officials of the Howrah Municipal Corporation visited the site and admitted that the market is a fire trap. Strict action will be taken, they promised.
Traders, meanwhile, are inconsolable as most of the shops are not insured. With Durga Puja barely a few days away, many had stocked huge quantities of goods. Some of them even claimed that the fire was no accident but a pre-planned act to clear land for a multi-storied market complex.
Prima facie, the cause seems to be an electrical short circuit. The fire started around 5 am and spread very fast, engulfing several shops. We reacted immediately and fire tenders reached the spot. Fighting the fire was difficult though due to the congestion and narrow lanes and by-lanes in the market. It was also a problem as many shops stocked inflammable goods. It took nearly four hours to control the blaze," a fire department official said.
The Kadamtala market is spread across nearly 36 bighas. According to the fire department, the market has no fire prevention measures or fire fighting equipment. The electricity cables are also not drawn properly. Had the fire started a couple of hours later, the effects could have been deadly as people would have got trapped, the official said. Senior officials of the Howrah Municipal Corporation visited the site and admitted that the market is a fire trap. Strict action will be taken, they promised.
Traders, meanwhile, are inconsolable as most of the shops are not insured. With Durga Puja barely a few days away, many had stocked huge quantities of goods. Some of them even claimed that the fire was no accident but a pre-planned act to clear land for a multi-storied market complex.
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