Late-night fire at PSK building

KOLKATA: A day after a major

fire

broke out on the third floor of Akash Tower, which houses the Passport

Seva Kendra

(PSK), cops and fire brigade are trying to ascertain if there was any negligence that led to the fire raging on for far too long. Sources said though fire-fighting equipment were available at the building on Friday, there were many who did not have the training to use them.

Though prima facie it seems like a short-circuit is to blame, cops said the real reason will be clear after the forensic team submited its report. The Anandapur police confirmed that no one — not even the fire brigade — had registered an FIR with them till Saturday evening. According to cops, the fire was reported at 10.52pm on Friday and six fire tenders brought it under control by 12.20am.

Sources said three persons working with a medicine manufacturing firm — Aniruddha Ghosh, Vikram Mukhopadhay and Santanu Santra — were initially trapped on the fifth floor but came out unharmed. No one was injured, said a fire department official.

Subhankar Bera, a security guard working at the

Tata Sky

office, said it was by the “grace of God that the PSK was not affected”. “It was difficult to breathe in the beginning. I managed to come down and saw that the firemen had reached the place,” he added.