Fire in New Market

A major fire broke out during the fag end of business hours at the iconic New Market in the heart of the city tonight but there was no immediate report of casualties.

Twenty fire tenders were pressed into service, officials said. Initially, there was no report of any casualty or injury, sources said.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot immediately after the firemen were informed of the incident at about 8.45 pm, officials said.

City police sources said the fire started from a garment shop in the market and spread to flower shops near the entrance on Lidsay Street.

Firemen faced trouble in dousing the flames as dense smoke filled the entire area of the heritage market.

The incident took place when the shops were about to close.

However, some customers were there and evacuated immediately through other exits.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Sovan Chatterjee rushed to the spot.

The Chief Minister spoke to local traders and sought their cooperation to bring the situation under control.

The Mayor talked to Disaster Management Minister Javed Khan and urged him to take immediate measures to stop the spread of fire. The cause of the fire or the extent of damages were yet to be ascertained, officials said.