A fire broke out on the 27th floor of Tower 3 at Kolkata’s South City residential complex on Friday morning, prompting the evacuation of residents and the deployment of seven fire engines. The blaze was reported near the servants’ quarters in the 30-storey tower, while police and fire department personnel reached the site.
The incident caused alarm across the complex as residents moved out of the building. The power supply was disconnected as a precaution, leaving the lifts inoperative and forcing residents to use the staircases. Children and elderly residents were among those who had to leave through the stairs.
Residents from the upper floors rushed downstairs during the evacuation, creating confusion inside the building. Firefighters also faced difficulty reaching the 27th floor to tackle the blaze, according to the report. South City comprises four residential towers, and the incident drew emergency personnel to the complex as efforts continued to secure the affected tower.
The fire had been contained, but firefighting operations were continuing to ensure that it was completely extinguished. The cause had not been established, although a short circuit was suspected. The extent of damage was also not known at the time of the report.
Debashis Basu, general secretary of the South City Residents’ Association, said residents had been evacuated from Tower 3. “The fire broke out in Tower 3. Residents have been evacuated. Police from the Jadavpur police station and the fire department are on-site,” Basu said.
The evacuation highlighted the operational challenges of responding to a fire on an upper floor of a high-rise residential building, particularly after electricity is disconnected and lifts become unavailable. In this case, residents and firefighters had to rely on staircases while emergency teams worked to control the blaze.
Police from Jadavpur police station and fire department personnel remained at the complex as firefighting operations continued. Further details on the cause of the fire, the damage and any possible injuries were not available in the report.
