A portion of the food court that was damaged in the fire. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

A part of the food court at City Centre caught fire after an explosion early on Tuesday. Six fire tenders brought the flames under control in a couple of hours but the food court remained shut for the rest of the day.

Fire officials said about 25 per cent of Hangout, the food court, was damaged. Leaking LPG may have exploded creating a fireball, according to experts.

“The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage could not be ascertained. A forensic team visited the spot,” said B.K. Singh, the chief security officer of the mall.

On Sunday, a shop at The Metropolis, Hiland Park, had caught fire.

Around 5am on Tuesday, residents of houses around the Salt Lake EC block mall woke up to the sound of an explosion. They saw smoke billowing out of Hangout.

“I rushed to the balcony of my house and found the City Centre security personnel running across the compound. Thick dark fumes hung over the mall. I could see flames in a corner of the food court,” said Sambhunath Dey, a resident of EC 20.

He mistook the explosion for a terrorist attack and called up the police and the fire department.

Fire and emergency services officials said the blaze started from the food court’s kitchen on the second-floor of the mall. Apart from a portion of the food court, a part of the kitchen of the nearby banquet hall was damaged.

The fire may have started from LPG cylinders or air-conditioning ducts, said Dipak Sarkar, the divisional officer (I) of fire prevention.

Wooden and plastic furniture, wooden false ceiling and electrical cables aided the spread of the fire.

“A preliminary investigation suggests that a mixture of gas and air had accumulated in one corner of the food stall. The mixture exploded creating a fireball,” said D. Sengupta, the director of the state forensic laboratory.

The official said fire prevention measures were in place. “Three of our water jets drew water from the mall reservoir.”

The mall authorities praised the security personnel who had started dousing the blaze before the firemen arrived. “It was very serious but the inhouse firefighting team controlled 90 per cent of the fire. None of the stores was affected,” said a retailer at City Centre.

The Café Coffee Day located near the food court also remained shut on Tuesday. “The cafe could not open because it shares an electrical connection with the food court,” said a mall official.