Kolkata: A massive fire broke out at a car service centre on Jessore Road at Birati’s Bankra in the early hours of Monday. All 23 vehicles that were parked at the facility were gutted. There was, however, no report of a casualty.According to sources, the fire broke out around 4.45 am and quickly spread across the service centre.“Firefighters from Madhyamgram and Birati fire stations reached the spot with five engines, and three more were later pressed into service. The blaze was brought under control after nearly three hours,” an officer said.According to Madhyamgram fire station officer Shubhashis Nath, 21 vehicles were parked inside the service centre and two were outside. “The exact cause of the fire can be established only after a forensic examination, although a short circuit was initially suspected,” Nath said.The fire officer added that the service centre did not have an adequate firefighting system. “There was nothing here except a few fire extinguishers,” he said.The fire caused damage in the surrounding area and temporarily disrupted traffic on Jessore Road.Some local residents alleged that the fire engines took some time to reach the spot. But fire officials said they reached the location immediately after receiving the alert.Jishnu Mukherjee, who had left his commercial vehicle at the service centre for repairs, said he rushed to the spot after receiving a phone call, only to find his vehicle engulfed in flames. “The firefighters were initially engaged in tackling the blaze from another side of the facility. My vehicle was gutted by the time the fire was brought under control,” he said.Fire officials said the service centre had only one entry point, which made it difficult for them to enter and tackle the blaze. No staffer from the service centre was found at the spot when firefighters arrived.
