The ravaged office in Everest House. (Bishwarup Dutta)

Calcutta, April 10: A fire destroyed an office on the 14th floor of Everest House on Chowringhee Road early this morning, a little over a fortnight after a blaze tore through Stephen Court.

However, unlike in case of the Park Street blaze that killed 43 people, fire tenders arrived within five minutes, accompanied by a skylift that co-uld rise up to 20 floors and a browser capable of pumping up water to that height. Two more fire tenders were pressed into service later.

The skylift had arrived an hour after the fire broke out at Stephen Court.

Today’s blaze was doused in little over an hour. Firemen used the lift to reach the floor where the fire broke out and snuffed out the flames using a water pipe kept in the building. The sky-lift and the browser were not used.

There was no one present in the office, MSC Ship Management (India) Private Limited, when the fire broke out at 4.05am.

“We broke open the rolling shutter and the wooden door of the office to enter,” a fire officer said.

“By then the fire had engulfed a sofa set and a few computers and reached the plywood cubicles. It could have spread to the other offices on the floor had there been a delay,” said another officer. “It appears that a short circuit had caused the fire but we have sought the opinion of forensic experts.”

Mrityunjoy Patra, the manager of the firm, said: “I have not been able to enter the office. I can’t say what the extent of the damage is. I’m not aware if any important documents have been burnt.”

Fire department officials said the prompt action was possible because a working sky-lift had been stationed at their Free School Street headquarters.