A fire broke out at a chemical warehouse in the city's Burrabazar area on Thursday afternoon, a senior official said.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the warehouse near Bonfield Road around 2.45 pm, following which locals informed the fire department, he said.

The blaze spread rapidly due to the presence of a large quantity of chemicals stored inside, he said.

"Initially, two fire tenders were pressed into service. Later, seven of them were engaged as the blaze intensified," the official said.

"Foam is being used instead of water to extinguish the flames because of the presence of chemical materials in the warehouse," he said.

The warehouse is located in a congested locality, and nearby residents were moved to a safer place as a precautionary measure.

No fatalities have been reported so far, the official said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.