West Bengal: Fire damages studio godown in Tollygunge

KOLKATA: A major fire severely damaged the Eskay studios' godown located on the congested Baburam Ghosh Road in Kudghat area early on Thursday morning. It destroyed almost everything that was stored there, including film rolls, cameras, lights and props, causing extensive damage to the structure.
A total of 15 fire tenders were pressed into service, said fire minister Sujit Bose who oversaw the operation along with senior fire department and police officers.
Though no one was injured, the three-and-a-half hour blaze led to losses worth crores, both the fire department and the police estimated. Such was the intensity of the blaze that the boundary wall collapsed, the ceiling was severely damaged and the metal frames on the main building were twisted. Luckily, a few cameras could be saved by the fire fighters.
"The entire property has received extensive damages. Our first aim was to ensure that the fire did not spread," said minister Aroop Biswas, who is also the local MLA, and one of the first to reach the spot.
Fire department officers said that so many fire tenders had to be rushed in because of the intensity of the fire and the high-density population residing in the slums adjoining the godown.
The cause of the fire is not yet clear. Cops, prima facie, said the fire could be the result of a short circuit.