Optical fibre godown gutted in flames at Khardah

A massive fire broke out at an optical fibre godown in Khardah area in North 24 Parganas on Monday night.

Around 25 tenders were pressed into action to douse the flame and it took them a few hours to gain control over the fire. The godown was completely gutted in the fire. The local people spotted smoke billowing out of the optical fibre godown situated on the Barrackpore-Kalyani Expressway on late Monday night and informed the fire brigade. The local residents tried to take part in the rescue operation but they failed to enter the godown as thick black smoke covered the entire area.

It took nearly three hours for the fire fighters to bring the situation under control. No casualty was, however, reported in the incident.

The fire spread quickly to a transformer factory situated adjacent to the godown. Local people got panicked as they found the fire spreading towards the transformers. Many local residents fled from the spot. Local people also helped the firefighters to douse the flame. According to local residents, the plastic factory suddenly caught fire at Danga Dingla area of Kharadah last night.

The firemen had to face problems in getting the flames extinguished as the black smoke covered the entire area and it was difficult to identify the source of the fire. According to the preliminary investigation, police and the fire brigade suspect that inflammable articles stored inside the godown aggravated the situation. According to the preliminary investigation, fire officials suspect that an electrical short circuit might have led to the fire. However, the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be ascertained.

It is suspected that the loss can be to the tune of a few crores. The fire brigade officials have started a probe to ascertain if there was any firefighting mechanism installed in the factory or not.