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Fire in Kolkata high-rise; two floors gutted

Last Updated 02 September 2014, 19:33 IST

A major fire was reported in the 24-storey Chatterjee International, one of the oldest commercial buildings in the city, on Tuesday.

The fire which injured seven people, including a fireman, was doused with the help of 15 fire tenders over a period of three hours.

Four years ago, the devastating fire at Stephen Court on Park Street brought to light the poor condition of fire safety measures at high-rises in the city. The fire was first detected  around 8 am on the 16th floor, which later spread to the 17th floor. The fire started from the office of Birla Cements and spread to adjacent offices over the next 40 minutes, the time taken by the fire services to reach the spot.

Senior police officials said that the fire department rescued four people who were trapped inside the building with the help of a sky-lift, though some of those trapped expressed their displeasure with the initial fire fighting measures. The police further said that since the fire had started before office hours, very few people were present and helped avert a bigger rescue operation.

Md Feroze, one of those trapped in the 16th floor, told a Bengali news channel that the fire brigade was initially struggling to put out the fire as the smoke remained trapped on the floor due to the absence of proper exhaust in the building.

“There were a number of hand-held and industrial fire extinguishers but none of them seemed to work. Even the smoke detectors were not functioning properly,” he complained.

Those trapped on the 16th floor were suffocated due to heavy smoke and had to be administered oxygen and other medicines. Hospital sources said that they are out of danger but will be under observation for 24 hours.

While the police said that the cause of the fire and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained, a forensic team visited  the spot to further probe the case. The police and the fire department are looking into complaints of insufficient fire safety measures made by those trapped in the two floors and others who work in the building. Thrown open in 1976, Chatterjee International is the oldest commercial high-rise in Kolkata and the fifth-tallest in the city.

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(Published 02 September 2014, 19:33 IST)

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