Fire breaks out at warehouse near Kolkata Police Headquarters

Kolkata, Nov 6 (IANS) A major fire broke out at a car parts warehouse on R.N. Mukherjee Road, just a few hundred metres from Lalbazar -- the Kolkata Police Headquarters -- on Thursday morning, officials said.

Six fire engines have been pressed into service to douse the flame, which broke out at 10.30 a.m. Efforts are on to bring the fire under control.

According to local residents, the fire started on the first floor of a warehouse, which is a three-storey building. Local residents saw black smoke billowing from the warehouse. They soon joined in the rescue operation and brought everyone outside.

They also tried to save the goods inside the warehouse. However, they could not empty the warehouse on time. So far, no one has been reported trapped inside the warehouse.

The fire department was informed immediately. At first, five fire engines rushed to the spot. Later, one more fire engine joined in. Being a congested area, the firefighting officials are finding it hard to douse the blaze.

The fire, which started in a warehouse storing car parts, later spread to an adjacent godown due to the presence of flammable materials. To release accumulated smoke, firefighters are breaking the glass panes of the warehouse.

Visibility around the multi-storey building has been reduced due to the smoke.

For now, fire officials are trying to break the glass of the warehouse's windows to remove the smoke from inside. There have been no reports of casualties or injuries in the incident so far. The preliminary assumption, according to officials, is that the fire was caused by a short circuit. However, the real cause will be known once the fire is completely doused.

"We are trying to bring the situation under control as soon as possible," said a fire official.

--IANS

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