Blaze guts godown

File Photo

TT, Siliguri, Oct.31: A furniture godown at Hyderpara here was razed to the ground in a fire that broke out this evening.

The godown was shut today and no one was injured in the blaze, sources said.

Local people spotted the fire around 4.15pm and informed the Siliguri fire station.

"We received information about the fire at Himachal Sarani in Hyderpara at 4.25pm. Four fire engines rushed to the spot immediately and we controlled the blaze by 5pm. It seems that the fire broke out because of a short circuit. But we can ascertain the exact cause only after investigation," D. Lepcha, an official at the Siliguri fire station, said.

The single-storeyed furniture godown is in a residential area and police are trying to trace it's owner.

Sailen Barua, a resident of the area, said: "When we saw the flames in the godown, we panicked. We thought a cylinder had exploded. There are many buildings surrounding the godown. The flames would have spread to the houses if the fire was not controlled immediately."

Police from Bhaktinagar area reached the spot this evening. "Nobody has been injured in the fire, so far," a police officer said.

Satyajit Adhikary, the councillor of ward 40 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, visited the spot.

"I came to know about the incident and immediately rushed to the spot. I also informed the fire officials in Siliguri. As the godown is located in a residential area, there was apprehension of the flames spreading to the nearby houses. But it was avoided because of timely intervention of the fire department," Adhikary said.