The fire broke out on the 13th floor of an Eastern Railway building in Kolkata’s Strand Road. (Express photo: Partha Paul) The Kolkata Police on Wednesday wrote to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, seeking the details of the massive blaze at the Eastern Railway building on Strand Road here on Monday evening. The police move came a day after it lodged an FIR and set up a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
According to the police, the SIT wants to know if the fire officials followed standard operating procedures (SOPs). Four fire officials were killed along with five others.
According to officials, they took lifts, in contravention of established protocols during fires, to the 13th floor where the blaze had erupted.
Sources said it was being claimed that the firefighting system in the New Koilaghat building was not appropriate. The multi-storied building had no technologically upgraded equipment to fight a fire. The police have sought details on such matters from the fire department. The investigators are also likely to write a letter to the Railways, seeking a building map.
According to the primary investigation, the fire was caused by an electricity overload. While the Eastern Railway has launched a high-level probe into the mater, the police inquiry is being led by the detective department.