The Strand Road building ablaze. Picture by Pabitra Das

A fire raged for more than three hours in a two-storeyed building on Strand Road on Wednesday morning. It took 25 tenders to douse the blaze. No one was injured.

Commercial Building, at 19 Strand Road, caught fire close to 5 am, said witnesses. A company called Bengal Bonded Warehouse Association owns the building.

“We were sleeping on the terrace when we heard people shouting. I looked down and saw a fire spreading rapidly in the building. We escaped through the back gate,” said Amlesh Singh, a driver who spends the night at the address.

Most occupants of the building expressed displeasure at the “late arrival” of the fire tenders.

“As soon as we were informed by the Lalbazar control room, fire tenders rushed to the spot. Ten tenders were deployed initially. Fifteen more had to be called in later. The flames were doused around 8.30 am. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained,” said fireman G.K. Bhattacharya.

The entrance and the staircase were destroyed by the time the tenders reached the building. So, the firemen found it difficult to reach the second floor and prevent the blaze from spreading.

“Had the skylift arrived on time, the entire second floor could have been saved. The skylift arrived around 9 am. By then, the damage was done,” said Aloke Todi, proprietor of Pallan Export and Import Company on the floor.

Fire services officials denied damage due to delay. “The fire spread fast because of the wooden staircase and the wooden furniture in the offices,” claimed Bhattacharya.

There are several offices in the building. Most of the occupants pay their rent to the Rent Controller’s Office following disputes.

“No arrests have been made yet. We are trying to ascertain the cause of the fire,” said deputy commissioner (headquarters) P. K. Chatterjee.