Calcutta, March 14 :     Sitting in his office, just before noon on Tuesday, Technicians' Studio (I) administrator Apurba Chatterjee could hear a commotion from the sets some distance away. Shouts of 'fire, fire!' filtered in. Another one of those dramatic scenes being shot, he thought. But when Pallavi Chatterjee, filmstar Prosenjit's sister, came rushing into his office in full costume, and shouted: 'Dada, why are you still seated... floor number 4 is burning!' he jumped to his feet. 'Oh, my God! This is for real.' By the time the fire was doused, everything except the four huge walls of the building was reduced to ashes. No one, however, was injured. Technicians' Studio (I), located near the Sangeet Research Academy, Tollygunge, has been used for many a famous shoot over the years, including Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali and Ritwick Ghatak's Meghe Dhaka Tara. When the fire broke out, Swapan Saha's Streer Maryada was into its second day of shooting at one of the two studios taken over by the state's information and culture department in 1983. It was a village scene, in the courtyard of heroine Rituparna's home. She and Prosenjit were yet to come on to the floor and were busy putting finishing touches to their makeup in the adjacent greenroom. Pallavi, who plays Rituparna's sister in the film, Roma Guha (their mother) and Anju Ghosh (Pallavi's friend) were going through their takes. Shankar Guha was behind the camera, while Saha directed. Suddenly, flames leaped from the thatched roof of the hut. Crew members began running out, for water or in fright. The police and the fire brigade were called in. By the time fire engines from the Naktala station turned up, the hay, wooden structures and other props used for the village scene went up in flames. Sections of the asbestos roof of the godown-turned shooting floor collapsed. 'We feared the fire would spread to other buildings,' administrator Chatterjee said. 'But the firemen did a good job. Even then, losses are likely to be around Rs 15 lakh.' The cause of the accident will only be known after the firemen complete their investigations. The film's writer, Subhas Banerjee, however, said: 'The fire could have started with the butterpaper placed in front of the arc lamps being ignited by the heat of the lamp. The light and butterpaper were next to the roof of the thatched hut. Once the hay caught fire, it spread within minutes.' The whole building housing floor number 4 is now in a precarious condition. The remaining portions of the roof or even the walls can collapse any moment. 'Shooting will not be possible here for quite some time,' Chatterjee said. 'All dates and bookings will have to be cancelled.' Besides films, mega TV serials like Janani and Ramakrishna have also been shot here. 'This is the first time in the studio's 65-year history that such an incident has happened,' said manager Barin Bose. Sources said the fire and information and culture departments had conducted a detailed fire survey 14 years after the state took over the 'sick' studio. A Rs 60-lakh fire project was submitted in 1997. Among other things, the construction of a reservoir was suggested. Work to make the studio 'safe' had already started. But Technicians Studio (I) was in definitely not equipped to deal with a fire of such magnitude.