20191004 Basement blaze sparks panic at Salt Lake mall in Kolkata
India Oct 04 2019 “Building” “Complex bldg.” “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Basement blaze sparks panic at Salt Lake mall in Kolkata
Updated: 2019–10–04
KOLKATA: A fire broke out at the basement of a shopping mall-cum-office complex in Salt Lake’s AG Block on Thursday afternoon, damaging at least 10 cars and 50 motorcycles parked there.
No one was, however, injured as more than the 1,500 shoppers, revellers, businessmen and office employees present on the premises were quickly evacuated before the flames could reach the upper floors.
But the fire, which started around 3pm and continued till late at night, spread considerable panic in the quiet neighbourhood as thick, black clouds of smoke billowed out of the basement entrance into the different floors of AMP Vaisaakkhi Mall. While 15 fire engines worked in tandem to douse the flames, the firemen could enter the lower basement only around 8.15pm, when the blaze could be brought under control to some extent around five hours after the fire was spotted. The flames were, however, restricted to the basement. Officials said the fire possibly started from welding work going on at the basement to construct an iron casing that would have held fire ducts. “Work was on at the basement for infrastructural and safety upgrade. The fire accidentally broke out, but luckily, no one was injured,” said Sunny Singh, mall manager.
At the time of the fire, all offices and most of the shops were operational. It being a popular hangout joint, several youngsters were gathered on the portico, chatting before heading out for pandal hopping. Those working at offices on the premises, those owing their own establishments there and even residents of nearby houses watched on in anxiety as the rescue operation continued. Owners, who had parked their vehicles in the basement, spent tense hours as they had no clue about the condition of their cars and motorcycles because the firemen could not even reach that level till late at night. “It was scary. A colleague ran upstairs to alert us and we all rushed down the stairs. I tried to go to the basement to get my bike but the basement was enveloped in thick smoke and I could see nothing. The driver of a car asked me not to venture any further,” said Sanjib Das, a medical representative who has his office on the fourth floor of the nine-storey building.
Spread over 2,02,150 sqft, the building was a joint venture between Bidhannagar Municipality and AMP Universal. It houses a retail giant’s outlet, a major salon chain, a music school, a popular gym, a fine dining restaurant, a furniture store and garment shops apart from multiple offices and an artificial football turf on the terrace. Stuck for years owing to litigation over its height and it replacing a local grocery market in a residential zone in Salt Lake, the mall was finally opened in 2013.
State fire minister Sujit Bose and director-general of fire services Jag Mohan rushed to the spot to take a stock of the situation. “Our men had difficulty reaching the seat of the fire for quite some time. To make things worse, there were constant blasts inside; petroleum products or vehicle tyres were possibly exploding. Finally, we drilled a hole through the ground floor to the first basement and sprayed foam and water before we could bring the fire under control around 8.15pm,” said a senior fire officer. Bose said they have requested the forensic department to conduct a detailed inquiry and take all legal action against mall authorities in case they find any loophole.
Bidhannagar mayor Krishna Chakraborty said: “Four years ago, we had found multiple loopholes in the building’s safety measures and asked them to work on them. We will look into the paperwork and take all necessary action.”
Web Source: The times of India