Gas cylinders lying amid the debris in the flower market. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta

Calcutta, April 12: Forensic experts today said the fire at the Mullickghat flower market possibly started from LPG be-ing used to cook food behind some of the shops.

“We would be able to ascertain the exact cause only after proper examination and that would take some time. The fire started from a primary source, which could be the gas stove, and spread rapidly with the wind blowing from the Hooghly resulting in several fires in various pockets,” said the director of Forensic Science Laboratory, Dhurjati Sengupta.

“It was a huge fire. It spread along the ground as well as through overhead electric cables,” he added.

Sengupta turned up with his colleague J.N. Pal this afternoon for an inspection of the market.

They collected two blast-ripped LPG cylinders, a few ovens and some electrical wires for tests.

Around 240 of the 263 stalls were razed in the fire that broke out around 8.05pm last night and took over three hours to douse.

Amid the remains of mangled tin shades, wires, iron grilles, charred poles and flower bundles, smoke continued to bellow from the ashes today.

“The fire started from the place where food was being cooked behind Thakkar Ojha’s stall. Two LPG cylinders were stored there,” said Hridoy Ranjan Jana, secretary of the Phool Bikreta Samity.

“I saw the flames lick the electric wires. This fire was probably waiting to happen. Even 10 days ago, there was a small fire in a corner, which the traders doused themselves,” Jana added.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation had cleared the plan for a new three-storey flower market, complete with India’s first flower auction centre, in place of the old one. The chief minister was to flag off the Rs 26-crore project in May.

Jana, whose samity is anti-CPM, said the members of the CPM-led Mullickghat Phoolbazar Parichalan Samity were planning to clear the space for construction of the new market. “The fire only made matters easier for them.”

Jana said his association had been demanding that each trader’s plot be measured before clearing the area for construction. “That never happened,” Jana alleged. “Now the allotments would be arbitrary as the measurements are lost.”

MP Sudhangshu Sil met the traders today and tried to allay their fears.

“We told them to list their losses in detail and submit a letter. We will try to compensate them on behalf of the Phoolbazar Parichalan Samity. Work to shift the market to a temporary site nearby would begin tomorrow,” said Sil.

“No one would be refused space in the new market,” he promised.