Barasat: Fire broke out in a Barasat mall on Sunday morning when the latest film in the Jurassic Park franchise was being screened at a multiplex.

The fire started in a fast-food counter on the first floor of City Mall near Dakbungalow More, possibly caused by an electrical short circuit, a little after 10am, fire brigade officials said.

Three fire tenders doused the flames in around an hour. There were no casualties.

The morning show of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was interrupted by an announcement on the public address system, alerting the audience about the fire and asking them to leave the building. Those watching the movie rushed out of the theatre.

"The show began around 9.45am. Less than an hour into the movie, there was an announcement and everyone panicked inside the hall. People were running towards the exit doors for safety. We were scared of being trapped inside but managed to escape," Bhattacharya said.

Thick black smoke had made its way upstairs from the first floor, where the fire started.

The mall employees tried to douse the flames with fire extinguishers but in vain. "The mall is equipped with hand-held extinguishers and water hoses on all the floors," a fire brigade official said.

Traffic movement on National Highway-112, which connects Calcutta with north Bengal, was affected for an hour because of the fire.

City Mall is located next to the arterial thoroughfare. As people left the mall in panic, the crowd spilled onto the road, blocking traffic.