Howrah: A major fire broke out at the 112-year-old Shalimar Paints factory unit at Nazirgunj in Sankrail on Wednesday morning.
Nearly 20,000 sq ft area of the factory was gutted in the fire.
The flames started from the quality testing centre and then spread across the ground but no casualty occurred.
The guards spotted the flames at around 3 am and raised an alarm.
Thirty-one fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze which was finally contained at around 10 am.
Fire officials suspect a short circuit sparked the fire but authorities are investigating the actual reason.
A forensic team visited the unit today. The fire affected local residents as many people in the locality had breathing problems and vomited due to the stench of the burnt chemicals.
