Kolkata Slum Fire: A fire erupted in a slum near a private hospital in New Alipore, Kolkata, on Saturday evening, destroying several shanties, according to a fire department official. No injuries or casualties have been reported in this incident so far. Six fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames, which broke out at approximately 6:50 p.m., as per news agency PTI.
STORY | Fire breaks out in Kolkata slum
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Residents in nearby high-rise buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
According to Anand Bazar Patrika, state ministers Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim rushed to the site, overseeing efforts by firefighters and army personnel, who joined with water tankers to aid in controlling the flames. Efforts included using water from Durgapur Bridge to extinguish the fire.
ALSO READ | Kolkata: Major Fire Consumes Topsia Slum, Over 200 Huts Reduced to Ashes: VIDEO
Kolkata Slum Fire: Blaze Engulfed Shanties In Topsia Area
This incident comes a day after a major fire devastated nearly 150 shanties in Topsia, another slum in the eastern part of the city. That blaze, which began around 12:50 p.m. on Friday near DN Dey Road, involved 15 fire tenders to bring it under control by 2:10 p.m., according to officials. No casualties were reported in that fire either.
“The blaze, aided by dry winter winds, initially kept spreading and covered the area with thick black smoke. Even two adjacent canals surrounding the slum that provided a perennial source of water for the fire trucks failed to contain the flames for the first two hours, which charred the shanties,” PTI reported an official as saying.
As per the police, the Firefighters faced a tough challenge to stop the blaze from spreading as the dwellings were tightly knit and allegedly housed inflammable articles.
The congested area also made it difficult for the fire trucks to reach the spot as they had to make detours to be able to tackle the flames.
A section of the affected residents got into a verbal spat with the police. Some of them alleged that fire tenders took longer than usual to reach the spot.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim expressed concern over the frequency of such incidents, noting the need for an investigation into why slums are repeatedly catching fire.
