Major fire breaks out at godown, no casualty

Kolkata:  major fire broke out at a godown near Armenian Ghat on the Strand Road in the central part of the city tonight, but there was no report of any death or injury in the incident, officials said.

Fire brigade sources said 20 fire tenders were pressed into service, which contained the blaze from spreading to nearby areas at around 12 am, four hours after the fire broke out.

The flames, fuelled by diesel kept in 20 barrels inside the godown, used by a private transport company, has been contained, but the flames are yet to be doused, fire service officials said.

The godown is owned by the Kolkata Port Trust and was leased to a private transport company, sources said. According to fire brigade sources, it may take a couple of hours more to douse the flames completely.

Sources said there was no information about anyone trapped inside the godown. The fire was suspected to have been caused by around 20 barrels of diesel kept in the godown, West Bengal Fire Department Minister Sovan Chatterjee said after visiting the spot.

Several explosions had taken place due to presence of inflammable materials in the godown, Chatterjee, who is also the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation said. The inflammable materials stored inside the godown were making the firefighting job more difficult, he said, adding strict action will be taken against found guilty of flouting fire safety rules. Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar also visited the site.