Siliguri, 06th March: Six shops including a warehouse were burnt to ashes in the horrific fire in Bagrakote. The incident took place in the wee hours of Saturday. Bagrakote, under Ward No. 20 of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, is a densely populated area with shops situated at very close proximity. Due to this, the fire spread from one shop to another within no time.
Reportedly, locals spotted flames coming out of a shop late Friday night and immediately informed the fire department regarding the matter. Locals complained that the fire engines reached the spot late, causing the fire to spread to the other shops.
Besides the shops, a toto (e-rickshaw), two motorbikes and a scooty kept in the warehouse were completely burnt to ashes. However, there have been no reports of any casualties in the incident.
A local businessman, Nupur Haldar, said that the firefighters did not reach the area on time and alleged them of not responding to their calls. Haldar further said that the blaze could have been controlled if the firefighters had arrived on time.
It has been primarily assumed that the said fire broke out due to a short circuit, but the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. The victims of the fire incident have suffered loss of lakhs of rupees. They maintained that they will be seeking help from the government.