india

Updated: Apr 26, 2019 12:22 IST

A fire broke out at a four-story building, which houses a number of offices and residential flats, at a busy crossing in south Kolkata on Friday morning, officials said.

Authorities said no one was trapped inside the building as firemen battled the blaze. Eight fire tenders have been deployed to bring the fire under control as a part of the building’s roof collapsed and huge cracks appeared on the walls.

“Preliminary observations indicate that a short-circuit in the air-conditioning machine could be the reason of the fire. We are confident of bringing the fire under control soon,” director general of West Bengal fire services department Jag Mohan said.

The occupants of the offices and residences rushed out as soon as the fire broke out.

“Everyone was evacuated safely. Although the fire has been largely brought under control, firefighters are trying to locate whether there are fires in some pockets,” Jag Mohan said.

Police cordoned off a part of the busy crossing during the rush hour leading to major traffic congestion in the adjacent areas.

A senior official of the state fire services department said, “There will be a probe on the fire safety systems in the building. A forensic probe will also be conducted.”

A major fire had broken out at the five-storied building in Bagri market in the trading hub of Burrabazar in central Kolkata, gutting more than 400 shops, in September 2018.