Nearly 100 shops dealing in electrical lights were damaged in the fire that occurred at 26 Ezra Street on Saturday, traders said on Sunday. Shop owners said lights worth nearly ₹100 crore were destroyed.
A forensic examination of the market could not be conducted on Sunday.
The team could not visit the spot because firefighters were still working to cool down the fire-ravaged shops and walls of the market.
Sources in the fire and emergency services stated that the cause of the fire and the exact spot from which it started could be ascertained only after the forensic team visits and examines the place.
“The forensic team could not visit today (Sunday) as the cooling process was in progress,” said an officer of the state fire department.
The fire broke out at the market early on Saturday. Twenty-five fire tenders battled the blaze in central Calcutta for over six hours, from 5.30am, when the first alarm reached the Kolkata Police headquarters, Lalbazar. Flames spread from one building to another in the tightly packed commercial hub, triggering panic among traders who rushed to salvage whatever they could. Police confirmed that no one was injured.
Police said they had not received any complaint from the fire department till Sunday evening.
The traders waited anxiously through Sunday, hoping to visit their shops to examine the extent of damage, but they were not allowed by the police.
“The fire brigade was still working on Sunday. The police are also guarding the premises because forensic experts have yet to visit. We were told the forensic team will come to the market on Monday. Only after the forensics have left and the fire services are done with cooling of the place, we will be allowed to go in,” said Mohammad Iftekar, a trader and the secretary of 26 Ezra Street Traders Welfare Association.
“Lights worth nearly ₹100 crore were damaged in the fire,” said Iftekar.
The traders could not predict when the market would reopen.
Amritesh Singh, who runs an electric lights store on the first floor of the market, was crestfallen when he spoke.
“We have been running the shop for more than three decades. I desperately want to go inside the shop and assess the extent of damage. But, till now, I am unable to go inside,” said Singh, who was standing outside the market with other traders on Sunday morning. He asked his three employees not to come on Sunday.
The two-storey building comprised over 100 shops, including some that were made of brick and others that utilized tin shades and partition walls.
“The first floor is more affected. The iron joists have been mangled and twisted and the tin shades have collapsed or are hanging dangerously,” said a trader.
“Once the police and fire brigade leave, we have to carefully remove the collapsed and hanging debris before we can finally enter our shops,” he said.
The shops had sprung up surrounding the city’s first Parsi Fire Temple, which too had been badly damaged in the fire. The committee of traders that now runs the market had started repairs of the temple and even painted portions of it on Friday.
The 186-year-old Rustomjee Cowasjee Church had been in a state of despair for years.
Established in 1839, the temple was inaugurated in the presence of luminaries, including Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. It is a heritage structure recognised by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. KMC’s Graded List of Heritage Buildings lists the fire temple as a Grade-I structure where “no external change” is permitted under the rules.
Built in Gothic style on a plot measuring a bigha and 18 cottahs, the temple lends its name to a narrow lane off Ezra Street — Parsi Church Street.
Besides the damage, the traders were also concerned about the loss they would have to bear during the peak wedding season.
“There are a lot of weddings in winter. People love to decorate their homes during this time. The decorators buy lights from us and then rent them out. Autumn and winter are peak business seasons for us,” said a trader.