Kolkata: Traders averted blaze rerun at Nandaram market

KOLKATA: The fire in a godown on the ninth floor of Nandaram market was spotted on time, averting a 2008-like inferno, which had raged for over 100 hours in the same market, said senior fire department officers.
If the fire had broken out at night when the market is shut and there is hardly anybody inside to alert, the damages would have been much higher. On Saturday, the fire broke out at 3pm when all the shops were open and thousands of customers were also present on the 14-storey market.While a section of traders alerted others about the fire, another section activated the internal fire system to at least contain the blaze.

“Spotting the fire on time and alerting for evacuation is almost 60% of the job done. In a fire at night, precious hours are lost in spotting the fire, assessing intensity and figuring out if people are trapped,” said a senior fire department officer. In 2008, the fire broke out after midnight and spread to other parts even before firemen could enter the market.
A fire ire broke out in a garment’s godown on the ninth floor of Nandaram market complex on Brabourne Road on Saturday afternoon bringing back the harrowing memories of another blaze in the same complex, which had raged for over 100 hours. Saturday’s fire was put out in seven hours with the help of 23 fire engines.
Fire minister Sujit Bose said the internal fire fighting system of the market malfunctioned creating difficulty for firemen to lift water till the ninth floor.
The fire-fighting system in Nandaram was installed only after the blaze in 2008 and after the erstwhile left front government refused to grant fire and KMC licence, malfunctioned, according to the fire minister.
Nandaram Market did not even have any fire alarms or water reservoir in 2008. On Saturday, fire alarms did work and water could be drawn from internal reservoir but it stopped after the electric supply was severed.
“It seems they either don’t have diesel-operated generators or they are defunct,” said an officer.
Fire minister Sujit Bose said he will shortly convene a joint meeting to discuss the safety of the market.
“We don’t want people to lose their livelihoods but we can’t let them operate in unsafe environment. We will shortly sit with the traders to discuss fire safety issues,” said Bose.