A fire broke out at the Chetla Agrani Durga Puja pandal in south Kolkata on Thursday evening. Five fire engines arrived at the scene soon after the blaze was reported and managed to bring the situation under control. The pandal has been closed to visitors for the time being.

The organisers said in a Facebook post, when the pandal would be reopened for the visitors would be announced later.

Chetla Agrani is a prominent Puja in the city, widely known as Kolkata’s mayor, Firhad “Bobby” Hakim’s Puja, the chief patron. The pandal this year is themed “In search of Amritakumbha”, to commemorate the birth centenary of the late litterateur Samaresh Basu. The structure is adorned with Rudraksha decorations. Just before the incident, the idol unveiling ceremony had been performed and the pandal opened to the public.

Heavy rainfall in the city over preceding days had already affected parts of southern Kolkata, including Chetla, raising concerns about structural damage even before the fire broke out. At present the organisers have not specified when the mandap will reopen to the public. The cause and origin of the fire remain unknown.