Bagbazar fire swallows shanties, threatens Udbodhan house

More than 100 shanties next to the Udbodhan building in Bagbazar were gutted in a fire that triggered serial explosions, probably from domestic LPG cylinders, on Wednesday evening.

The fire started around 6.45pm and by 11pm, the blaze was under control but firemen were still working to douse the embers. Hundreds of people who had lost their homes were on Central Avenue. No casualty had been reported, police said.

Evening traffic in north and central Calcutta was thrown out of gear as affected residents from the shanties descended on streets. The north-bound flank of Central Avenue and Udbodhan Lane was closed to traffic to facilitate fire-fighting.