Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee visits the scarred section of Writers’. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

• Smoke alarms did not work.

• Water pipes sprang leaks.

• Not all extinguishers were ready for use.

• It took over half an hour to start the pump that would carry water overhead.

Thursday’s morning fire on the third floor of Writers’ Building’s E Block ripped the mask off the poor fire-fighting preparedness of the secretariat.

“It’s sheer luck that the fire didn’t spread. There is no preparedness at all to avert a disaster,” said Balai Pal, the supervisor of the estate department, which looks after the secretariat building.

Pal saw thick smoke billowing from the building when he turned up for work around 7am.

As forensic experts later trooped down with cops and employees struggled to recover some of the burnt files, it was evident that things were not what they should have been on the floor that houses the biggest fire department office at Writers’.

But no one seemed keen on a post-mortem. The fire services department and the PWD, instead, indulged in a blame game.

“In my 13-year tenure, there have been 17 instances of fire at Writer’s. But today’s was the biggest,” said fire services minister Pratim Chatterjee.

“We have written countless letters to the PWD detailing steps to be taken to boost the fire-fighting preparedness of the building. They are yet to react... We can only recommend but it’s the PWD that has to act,” added Chatterjee.

Fire officials said the only attempt made to protect Writers’ from fire was installing foldable water pipes in each corridor. But on Thursday, the pipes failed to carry water because of leaks.

“A few months back, during a joint inspection, we had told PWD officials that the pipes could not carry water. The executive engineer of the PWD was present at the inspection. But no one from the department bothered to act on our request,” said a fire official.

The fire services department had also sought installation of smoke detection alarms and a system which ensures water supply 24x7.

“The smoke alarms don’t work. And there is no dedicated system to ensure water in the fire-pipes. We have installed all these in various highrises and hotels. Why can’t the government let us do the same at Writers’?” asked minister Chatterjee.

The PWD denied the charges.

“The fire is mysterious. Only files were burnt and that too while audit was on. Tables, chairs and other furniture weren’t much damaged. Why?” asked PWD Kshiti Goswami. “If the PWD’s negligence is proved, I will consider resignation.”

But what about the recommendations? “We have installed fire-fighting gadgets in the Main Block that houses the rooms of the ministers and senior bureaucrats. In other blocks, there are extinguishers and water pipes. We can always upgrade but where from will the money come?” Goswami said.