Firemen train water jets at the fire that broke out on the top floor of a four-storeyed residential building on Lenin Sarani late on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

A fire broke out on the top floor of a four-storeyed residential building, housing several godowns, on Lenin Sarani around Tuesday midnight. Fifteen tenders took more than seven hours to control the blaze, which spread to the other floors.

Smoke again started emanating from the floor around 1.30pm on Wednesday. Firemen rushed to the spot and controlled the situation.

The cause of fire could not be ascertained till Wednesday night. Local residents alleged that the fire spread from the godowns storing combustible material on the third floor.

There are also offices and shops of electronic and chemical goods in the building.

“It is a residential building which is being used for commercial purposes. The source of the fire is not known yet but on the third floor, highly combustible material, like foam and leather sheets, were stocked. The wooden staircases of the building collapsed in the fire. We rescued five people from the third floor using a 100-ft-long ladder,” said Gopal Bhattacharya, the director of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services.

According to witnesses, the fire was first spotted between midnight and 12.30am. They alleged that the fire engines took about 45 minutes to reach the spot after being informed. By then, the flames had reportedly spread to the floors below.

With the firemen struggling to control the blaze and evacuate those trapped inside, local residents joined the rescue efforts.

“It is an old building with wooden stairs. So, it was very difficult to go inside. The fire brigade had to use ladders to rescue people,” said Mohammad Liyaqat, a resident at 28 Lenin Sarani. “Four people suffered minor injuries. One person was injured in the head,” said an officer of New Market police station.