Kolkata: Sealdah station fire exposes gaps in fire safety, Railways-Bengal Fire Dept clash (Lead)
Kolkata, Aug 31
The fire that broke out at a busy food stall at Sealdah Railway Station in central Kolkata on Monday was brought completely under control, with no casualties or injuries reported. However, the incident has triggered differences between the West Bengal Fire Services Department and the Indian Railways over the alleged lack of adequate firefighting arrangements inside the station premises.
Fire Services personnel who rushed to the station after receiving information said they faced difficulties in accessing water from pipelines within the station. They claimed that firefighters had to depend on water carried by their own vehicles to douse the flames.
"We reached the spot as soon as we received the information. Three fire engines arrived first, and firefighting operations began on a war footing. However, we did not get any water from the pipelines within the station premises. We had to use our own water to extinguish the fire in the food shop. As a result, the fire naturally gained some momentum initially," a state Fire Services official present at the spot said.
The official said the situation could have been more serious had the fire been larger in intensity. Fortunately, the flames were limited, and the shortage of water from the station pipelines did not significantly affect the firefighting operation.
"At the same time, we have doubts about the fire safety arrangements at the food stall, where the fire broke out," the official added.
Sealdah Divisional Railway Manager Rajeev Saxena, who also reached the station after being informed about the incident, declined to accept the Fire Services Department's complaints without a proper inquiry.
"It is not possible to say anything right now without investigating the matter. All I can say right now is that the intensity of the fire was not much. But there was panic among commuters because of the smoke emitted from the spot of the fire, which later spread throughout the station premises. The fire has been completely extinguished now," Saxena said.
It has also emerged that the same food stall witnessed a fire incident last year. Following Monday's incident, the railways have contacted the stall owner and sought an explanation regarding the fire safety measures in place at the outlet.
Officials of the state Fire Services Department are yet to establish the exact cause of the blaze. Preliminary assessment, however, suggests that a short circuit may have triggered the fire.
The incident comes against the backdrop of two major fire accidents in West Bengal earlier this month, in which 18 people had lost their lives. The latest incident at one of Kolkata's busiest railway stations has once again raised questions about fire preparedness and safety measures at crowded public facilities during periods of heavy commuter movement.
— IANS
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