A fire that broke out early on Saturday morning at a godown on Ezra Street left Calcutta’s first Parsi fire temple — the 186-year-old Rustomjee Cowasjee Church — severely damaged, along with more than a hundred shops selling electrical goods and other items.

Twenty-five fire tenders battled the blaze in central Calcutta for over six hours from 5.30am, when the first alarm reached the Kolkata Police headquarters, Lalbazar. Flames spread from one building to another in the tightly packed commercial hub, triggering panic among traders who rushed to salvage whatever they could. Police confirmed that no one was injured.

The Parsi fire temple at 26 Ezra Street, established in 1839 and inaugurated on September 16 in the presence of luminaries including Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, is a heritage structure recognised by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on the state heritage commission’s recommendation.

The Parsi Church is listed as a Grade-I heritage site in the KMC’s graded list of heritage buildings, where “no external change” is permitted under the rules. Built in Gothic style on a plot measuring a bigha and 18 cottahs, the temple lends its name to a narrow lane off Ezra Street: Parsi Church Street.

Today, the temple sits almost hidden behind rows of electrical shops that have mushroomed around it, with an adjoining building even sharing its address. Long-time residents said the neighbourhood’s documented history dates back to the 19th century, when Parsi and Jewish families settled in the area and established homes, businesses and places of worship.

“The temple on Ezra Street is the first Parsi fire temple in Calcutta. It is not in use now, but there are talks of reviving it,” said Yasmin Panthaki, a member of the city’s Parsi community. “Encroachment by shopkeepers has eaten into the temple’s space. We now visit the one on Metcalfe Street.”

Shopowners at the temple’s entrance said their establishments were among those badly damaged in the blaze.

Saturday’s fire revived grim memories of the April blaze at a hotel in Mechua — barely 4km away — that claimed 14 lives and injured 13.

Fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose and mayor Firhad Hakim visited the tightly packed pocket behind Rabindra Sarani and Pollock Street, an area lined with old buildings, some allegedly with illegally added floors.

Traffic had to be suspended along both roads to allow fire tenders access, and electricity was disconnected as thick smoke blanketed the area, which draws thousands of traders daily.

Wholesalers and traders estimated losses running into several crores. “The fire started on the fifth floor of a building at 26 Ezra Street and spread up to the 12th floor around 5.30am. Since it was very early, by the time residents realised what was happening, the flames had reached adjoining shops,” said a senior officer of Kolkata Police’s central division.

Firefighters struggled to reach the seat of the blaze through the maze of narrow lanes packed with shops and buildings. A mesh of overhead wires further complicated ladder operations. As the fire raged, explosions were heard from locked shops and godowns.

“Twenty-five fire tenders were working to bring the fire under control. It won’t be possible to say how the fire started without a report from forensic experts. They will examine the site,” minister Bose said.

A section of traders said that most buildings lacked fire-safety measures and functional emergency exits. “We have been asking the fire department to inspect, but no one would listen,” said a trader dealing in electrical wires, requesting anonymity.

Bose said traders should also ensure fire safety norms are followed. “It’s not just the duty of the police or fire services to enforce norms. Businessmen, too, have their responsibilities,” he said.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said that since the Bagree Market blaze in September 2018, the police, along with the KMC, have issued instructions to businessmen in and around Ezra Street and adjoining areas on the norms they must follow to prevent fires and the steps to take if a fire breaks out.

“Even then, we will investigate the cause of the fire and whether fire department personnel faced any obstruction in their work because of parked vehicles, as some residents have alleged,” Verma said.

“Officers from the police, fire services and the KMC check through the year whether the instructions are being followed. If there have been lapses, they will be probed and lawful action will be taken.”

The Congress councillor of the area, Santosh Pathak, said he had repeatedly alerted authorities to irregularities in the affected building. “I must have written at least 20 letters,” he said. “No one responded.”

Mayor Hakim said that the civic body was rarely informed when illegal constructions occurred. “People complain only when disputes arise. I meet Pathak twice a month at the KMC; he never told me about irregularities here,” Hakim said.