Jan. 22: A fire broke out in a bag shop on the ground floor of a three-storeyed building near Purabi cinema in Sealdah on Sunday afternoon, sending guests of a lodge on the first and second floors scurrying out to safety.

Eight fire engines fought for four hours to douse the blaze on the MG Road building, located in an area dotted with shops, eateries and residential structures.

A preliminary investigation by fire brigade officers suggests an electrical short-circuit triggered the fire.

The Howrah-bound flank of the road was blocked for four hours.

Fire brigade personnel had a tough time entering the shop because of thick black smoke. They went to the first floor and dug a hole on the floor of a room atop the shop to spray water on the false ceiling of the outlet.

"Initially, fire brigade personnel found it difficult to enter the shop because of smoke. They worked hard and controlled the fire," said Sovan Chatterjee, mayor and fire services minister, who visited the spot on his way to the Eden Gardens.

The smoke was detected around 3.40pm.

"I came to the city on a business trip. Around 3.50pm, some policemen came and asked me to rush out with my belongings. I did so and saw smokes billowing out of the shop," said Ratan Samaddar, a resident of Purulia who had checked into the lodge housed on the first and second floors of the building.

An employee of the shop, which was open today, said smoke started coming out of the portion concealed by the false ceiling. "We came out and alerted the fire brigade immediately," he said.

A fire department official said: "We suspect a short-circuit in the electric wires above the false ceiling had triggered the fire."