20 killed, 50 injured in Sealdah market fire

At least 20 people were killed and 50 others sustained injury after a fire swept through a six-storey "illegal" godown-cum-office complex at Surya Sen market in Kolkata's Sealdah area in the wee hours on Wednesday.

According to Kolkata police, the inferno was reported at around 3.50 am, following which 26 fire tenders rushed to the spot to fight the blaze for several hours. Although many people trapped in the building were rescued, the fire killed 20 lives, including a woman.

About 50 injured people, many of them being critical, were taken to neighbouring NRS and Calcutta Medical College hospitals. The cause of the fire, however, was under investigation, Kolkata Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Javed Shamim said.

West Bengal Fire Services minister Javed Khan visited the spot, starting the usual political blame-game. "This is an illegal building, which came up during the Left rule. They should explain and be held responsible."

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, later, floated a conspiracy theory. "Who knows that some people deliberately set the place on fire with an ulterior motive. We have ordered an inquiry. KMC, the fire department and the police will jointly conduct the inquiry and submit its report in three days. The probe will study all aspects," she said.

Banerjee announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Governor M K Narayanan, too, visited the spot.

This is the third major incident of fire in city in recent years. The fire at AMRI Hospital in the city on December 9, 2011, which killed 93 patients. Earlier in 2010 Stephen Court fire in Kolkata killed 43 people.