Jan. 5: A fire broke out in a chemical factory-cum-godown in Madhyamgram last night.

At least 35 fire engines managed to bring the fire under control early this morning. There have been no injuries.

"Residents of the area were the first to spot smoke billowing from one of the windows and alert the fire brigade around 9pm," Ganesh Majhi who lives in the area said.

Fire engines kept coming as the fire spread to other rooms on the ground floor of the 4,500sq ft three-storey building.

By the time the fire was brought under control around 5am today, 35 fire engines had been deployed.

Initially, firemen could not enter to spray water. So, two bulldozers were brought from Madhyamgram Municipality to bring down a portion of the boundary wall for easy accessibility of firemen.

As the company stored nitrogen-based chemicals, the area was filled with a pungent gas, sparking panic among people of the area.

"We used the bulldozers to make way for firemen so that they could spray water and foam," Rathin Ghosh, the local MLA and chairman of the Trinamul-led Madhyamgram Municipality, said.

A fire officer said 10 fire engines had been kept on standby for "cooling".

"Also, the fire has left the walls of the factory vulnerable," the officer said.

Combustible material kept on the ground floor possibly triggered the fire, he said.