A fire broke out in Kolkata’s Baghbazar area in West Bengal on Wednesday evening, reported PTI, citing the police. No casualties were reported.
Twenty-five fire tenders were deployed to the spot to douse the flames, according to NDTV. The fire spread to several houses at a slum in Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue beside the Bagbazar Women’s College near Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, the police said. At least 40 shanties burnt to ashes in the slum. The fire also spread to the adjacent Sarada Mayer Bari area, an officer of the fire department told the news agency.
The police said that blasts were heard in the slum. Police officers suspect gas cylinders burst in the area. A senior Kolkata police officer, however, said the reason behind the fire was not yet known. “The firemen are fighting it tooth and nail and hopefully, it will soon be under control,” the officer said. The police also said that the fire led to a massive traffic jam in the area.
Local residents alleged that…