A fire broke out at a furniture manufacturing unit at Arupota, off Basanti Highway and close to PC Chandra Gardens, on the eastern fringes of the city, on Friday afternoon.

Fifteen fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames.

A senior officer of the state fire directorate said the blaze was brought under control only in the evening. “It took nearly three hours to douse the flames,” he said.

The tin-roofed sofa manufacturing unit caught fire around 3.25pm, the police said.

Local people told TV news channels that the fire spread rapidly as the factory-cum-warehouse was stacked with flammable material.

Flames even reached portions of an adjacent four-storeyed commercial building.

The four-storey commercial building was soon evacuated during the firefighting operation as a precautionary measure, said the fire directorate officer.

People present in nearby buildings were also evacuated.

Residents complained that the fire brigade arrived late, though a fire station is located a few hundred metres from the factory that was gutted.

“This is a sofa manufacturing unit where a lot of wood and other flammable substances, and some chemicals are stored. The fire may have spread fast because of this,” said a resident.

In a statement, Kolkata Police said no one was injured in the fire, but the extent of damage was not clear.

Neighbourhoods along the stretch of Basanti Highway, close to EM Bypass, have witnessed rapid but unplanned growth in the last few years. The area is dotted with several warehouses storing marble and other stones, at least one banquet, garages and showrooms of automobile companies, among others.

Several offices and residences also cohabit the same neighbourhoods.

Thick plumes of smoke billowed out of the premises on Friday afternoon. Initially, four fire tenders were deployed to tackle the flames. As the fire intensified and spread within the premises, more engines were pressed into service.

Friday’s blaze at Arupota comes a day after a fire broke out in a chemical godown in a congested locality off Burrabazar, in central Calcutta, on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier on Wednesday, a blaze was reported at a furniture godown on BB Ganguly Street, also in central Calcutta. Three furniture and plywood stores were gutted in the fire.

Fire directorate officers said the cause of Friday’s blaze can be determined only after a forensic examination of the site.

“Samples would be collected once the area cools down and the debris is cleared,” he said.