Massive fire in Bengal's Birati market guts 200 shops; no casualties reported

Kolkata, Dec 30 Around 200 shops in Birati's Jadu Babu's market in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district were gutted in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Tuesday.

The shops were reduced to ashes, and the goods and assets inside perished, leaving the owners and workers in shock. Preliminary reports said there were no reports of casualties.

The famous market is located adjacent to Birati railway station and frequented by locals and passengers.

Sources said the devastating fire broke out around 1.30 a.m., which spread rapidly within moments due to strong winds blowing from the north.

Seven fire engines were pressed into service. However, strong winds made it difficult for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Locals said that by the time the fire brigade reached the spot, the shops were completely destroyed.

Even on Tuesday morning, the situation was not completely under control. Firefighters reported that although the source of the fire had been extinguished, smoke was still rising and pockets of fire were still visible in the market.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire.

According to locals, who are also traders, the fire initially started in one shop in the market and then quickly engulfed the entire market. Locals also said that the congested nature of the area contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

At the same time, the fire could have led to a major disaster due to the proximity of several housing complexes and individual houses in the densely populated area near the market. A trader who used to have a shop in that market told media persons, "Someone called me and told me to come quickly, saying that everything was finished there. I rushed there, but by the time I reached there, everything had burned down. There are about 200 shops here. I had my own electrical shop."

The chairman of North Dum Dum Municipality, Bidhan Biswas, also rushed to the spot. He arrived with several municipal representatives. The Trinamool leader offered his support to the traders in their time of misfortune. He said, "We are with them. This market is under the municipality, and we will definitely look after them. We will try to provide rehabilitation."

He also demanded a full investigation into the entire incident.

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