A massive fire broke out in a slum cluster in Kolkata's Topsia area in West Bengal. 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control, officials said. A significant part of the area comprising 150 dwellings was reduced to ashes, an official said. The fire erupted around 12:50 pm at the slum on DN Dey Road adjacent to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.
Visuals from the fire accident site show thick smoke billowing out of the region.
Even two adjacent canals surrounding the slum that provided a perennial source of water for the fire trucks failed to contain the flames for the first two hours, which charred the shanties, the official said.
Firefighters were facing a stiff challenge to stop the flames from spreading on account of the dwellings being tightly knit and allegedly housing inflammable articles, police said. The congested area also prevented the fire trucks from reaching the spot, and the vehicles had to make detours to approach the flames.
Locals were seen assisting the fire brigade personnel in their effort to douse the blaze, even as a section of the affected residents entered into a verbal spat with the police.
Some of the residents alleged that fire tenders took longer than usual to reach the spot. State Fire Services Minister Sujit Basu, who had rushed to the spot, said, “I appeal to all residents to maintain calm. hey may have their reasons to be angry and I am willing to listen to them. But, the priority now is to douse the flames."
"I had requisitioned 15 fire tenders and asked the police to keep the route vacant so that there was no delay in their arrival," he added.
(With PTI inputs)