Stephen Court is on fire. If that didn’t ring an alarm loud enough on Tuesday afternoon, all one had to add was that the Flurys or MusicWorld or Peter Cat building was on fire.

The landmark building on Park Street that houses some of the most popular hangouts in town, besides scores of business establishments and residents, became the address of death on Tuesday.

The city civic authorities have so far issued 128 trade licences in the building and some of them have made this the iconic bend on Park Street.

“Flurys was speedily evacuated and is completely safe,” was the official word from the city’s favourite tea shop.

The MusicWorld store and warehouse, housed on the second floor of the same building, were evacuated as soon as news of the Stephen Court fire “from the Peter Cat side” came through.

“There were quite a few customers in the store and around 55 staff members in all. We shepherded out everybody through the front gate on to Park Street after shutting down our back office, around 2.20pm,” Ananya Pandit, the manager, operations.

Peter Cat too was “immediately emptied” and closed down. “We don’t know when we will open again. That will depend on police clearance and all,” said an employee.

Inside Stephen Court, offices like Highlife Management, Bengal Paper Tube, NextGen Communications and many more disgorged people by the dozens while residents struggled to find an exit to take them to safety.

“There are many senior citizens living on the top floors and they were in desperate trouble,” said a local youth who joined the rescue operations at Stephen Court.

Dr Rajeev Butta, whose clinic is on the third floor above Flurys, was among those who pitched in. “I was in my chamber when I heard of the fire. I sent my family away and then came to see what could be done here. The fire brigade hadn’t reached, people were panicking and some were about to jump. We helped to save a few lives. When the ladders were put up a few people were able to climb down and enter my clinic,” he said late on Tuesday, adding that the fire was still burning.

The landmark address under siege was a shock to not just those who lived and worked there. “I have been in the city for five days, and I have already come to Park Street a few times. Today, it was crazy,” said 23-year-old Bernd Fink from Belgium, standing outside MusicWorld and gaping at the smoke billowing out of the grand but gutted building.