A fire broke out on the first floor of a two-storey house in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area on Sunday morning and was brought under control after nearly an hour of firefighting, according to the fire department. No casualties were reported, and residents left the house soon after the flames were noticed.
Local residents and people living in the house initially tried to douse the fire after it was spotted at about 9.30 am. Smoke then spread around the building, prompting a call to the fire department. Fire officials said they received information about the incident at around 9.45 am and sent two fire engines to the location.
Firefighters first attempted to control the flames from outside by directing water into the affected part of the building. After the fire was brought partly under control, personnel entered the house to tackle the remaining flames. The department said the fire was fully contained after an operation lasting about an hour.
The fire was restricted to the first floor of the house, according to the report. Residents said several household items were damaged in the blaze. The exact cause of the fire had not been established at the time of reporting, and the fire department was examining how it started.
All occupants left the house as soon as the fire broke out. The report did not mention any injuries among residents, neighbours or firefighters. It also did not provide an estimate of the property loss or details about whether the building had sustained structural damage.
The incident occurred opposite a pandal in Chorbagan where 19 people were killed in a stampede during the Durga Puja period. The earlier incident is being investigated by the police and by a special investigation team formed by the West Bengal government. The team is headed by former judge Anindita Ray Saraswati. The house fire and the earlier stampede are separate incidents, although both have drawn attention to the same locality.
The immediate emergency response has ended, but the fire department’s assessment of the cause remains pending. Further information on the origin of the blaze, the extent of damage and any required follow-up action was not available in the supplied report.
