Even after thirty-eight hours, the fire is still raging in some floors of the high-rise 13-storeyed Nandaram Market building at Burrabazar in Kolkata. A few government officials have expressed fear that the building could collapse.
Kolkata, Jan 13 : Even after thirty-eight hours, the fire is still raging in some floors of the high-rise 13-storeyed Nandaram Market building at Burrabazar in Kolkata. A few government officials have expressed fear that the building could collapse.
The fire at the Nandaram market, the biggest wholesale market of Kolkata, was still smouldering. Authorities were grappling to bring fire under control that gutted 3,500 shops and damaged eight multi-storey buildings. Around 50 fire engines of the West Bengal Fire Services as well as those of the Army, Navy and the Airport Authority have joined in the efforts to douse the blaze.
Fire fighting department has said that it might take another two days to curb the fire.
The fire broke out on Saturday in the 'Tripalpatti' area of Burrabazzar and had later spread across the second, fifth, ninth and tenth floors of the nearby Nandaram market that houses textile shops and godowns.
According to initial estimates, goods including electronics, plastic items, tarpaulin, garments and cloth materials worth millions of rupees were destroyed in the fire.
Locals fear that water shortage and the pace, at which the fire is spreading, would soon engulf nearby places as well and may turn into a major disaster.
"The fire has spread to the Nandaram market and is close to spreading to other nearby markets as well. If that happens then there will be a mass destruction of property in all the surrounding markets," said Bhola Prasad Solankar, a local.
On Saturday, West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Kolkata Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta had visited the spot.
ANI