No casualties as fire engulfs building in central Kolkata; fire minister, mayor visit site
Kolkata, Nov 15 (PTI): At least 20 fire tenders were pressed into service on Saturday to douse a massive blaze in a multi-storey building in Kolkata’s congested Ezra Street area, officials said.
No casualties were reported, police added.
The blaze was brought under control after almost 10 hours by the firefighters, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
"The fire broke out around 5.30 am, and 20 fire engines were deployed to control the blaze," a senior official of the state fire services department said.
"No casualties were reported, no individuals were trapped inside the building. Emergency teams cordoned off the area as a precaution. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though the presence of electronic equipment and closely packed storage spaces is believed to have accelerated the spread of the fire," the official told PTI.
ALSO READ: 9 killed, 27 injured in blast at JK police station while handling explosives seized in Faridabad
Fire Minister Sujit Bose and Mayor Firhad Hakim both visited the spot and monitored the rescue operations until the fire was brought under control.
"There has been no human casualty, but a huge monetary loss. I will urge the businessmen to do their business, but they must maintain and follow the fire safety norms," Bose said.
Halkim said that he would convene a meeting next week to review safety norms.
"We will probe how much fire safety norms were followed here at Ezra Street. I will hold a meeting so that businessmen can do their business without facing any problems. I want help from the police in this connection," Hakim said.
Talking to PTI, a senior official of the fire department said that currently firefighters were carrying out cooling process.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
