Massive fire breaks out at food court near Kolkata's Sealdah station, passengers in panic

A fire broke out at a food shop near the busy Sealdah station in Kolkata, India. A fire broke out at a shop in a food court outside the station on Monday (August 31) morning. The fire covered the surrounding area with thick black smoke. This spread panic among passengers in the station area during rush hour.

The Kolkata Fire Brigade reached the spot after receiving the information and started working to control the fire. Three fire engines are working at the spot to douse the fire. Along with this, officials of Kolkata Police and Railway Police are also working to control the situation.

Fire breaks out in Sealdah during rush hour

Since Monday was the first working day of the week, there was a huge crowd in the Sealdah station premises since morning. The area where the fire broke out is near the entrance of the Sealdah South branch.

The fire broke out near the entrance of the station during rush hour, creating panic among passengers. The situation in the surrounding area temporarily became more uncomfortable as the smoke from the fire spread.

Firefighters had to work hard to put out the fire on a narrow path

Firefighters set up a security cordon around the scene. The relatively narrow path to the south and main branch of Sealdah created some problems in firefighting.

In addition, since the food court shops are surrounded by glass, firefighters also had trouble getting the smoke inside to the outside. Later, arrangements were made to break the glass to get the smoke out.

Complaints about lack of water at the station

Firefighters faced some problems at the beginning of the firefighting work. It is alleged that sufficient water was not available from the station. Later, the fire was controlled using the fire department's own water.

At the same time, questions have also been raised about the firefighting system of the food court shops. Security measures have been tightened at the scene to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby shops or establishments.

Fire under control, cause still unknown

According to fire department sources, the fire is currently under control. However, the smoke has not completely cleared from the scene. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known. The authorities concerned are investigating the matter.

It was not immediately clear whether any casualties were reported in the fire. Similarly, the extent of damage caused by the fire is also not yet known.

Source: Anandabazar Patrika