Major fire in Kolkata, no casualties reported yet

A major fire engulfed the basement of the Jindal House in Kolkata today. No casualties have been reported so far.

As many as 16 fire tenders were working to bring the situation under control as thick smoke had spread over the entire locality. The incident is primarily being attributed to an electric short circuit.

"Our fire officers have breathing apparatus in sufficient numbers. We could quickly reach the seat of the fire which is regarding the transformer, so we had no problem entering that very smoky place," said Sanjoy Mukherjee, Director General, Fire.

The basement of the Jindal House houses a maruti showroom and there were around 20 cars in the showroom during the time of the incident.

The reason of the fire is yet to be confirmed, action will be taken once the exact reason is ascertained.

"Situation is under control. Our people are working. We need to get proper information that the fire has been totally put off. And after the fire has been put off, we will enquire the exact reason for the accident. We will enquire and try to find out if any particular person is at fault or proper safety measures have not been taken. We will act accordingly then," said Javed Khan, Fire and Civil Defence Minister.

Firad Hakeem, Urban Development Minister, who also visited the site said, "The situation is totally under control. I thank the fire brigade department for their active participation to bring the fire under control and so no big damage is there".