Shivratri Ritual Leads to Apartment Fire in Kolkata's Diamond City South
A seemingly innocuous religious observance turned perilous on Sunday morning when an oil lamp, lit to mark the festival of Shivratri, sparked a significant fire inside an empty fifth-floor apartment at the upscale Diamond City South complex in Tollygunge, Kolkata. The incident triggered widespread alarm across multiple floors of the high-rise residential tower before a coordinated response from internal teams and state fire services brought the blaze under control within approximately an hour and a half.
Timeline of the Emergency
The fire erupted in flat 5B of Tower 2 around 10:40 AM, shortly after the residents, Anju Minda and her husband, had stepped out to offer prayers at a temple located within the complex premises. Eyewitnesses reported seeing thick, black smoke billowing aggressively from the apartment windows, which immediately set off panic throughout the block.
As a critical precautionary measure, electricity to the entire tower was swiftly disconnected, compelling residents from the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors to evacuate urgently via the building's staircases. Many occupants rushed out in haste, driven by fears that the flames could potentially spread through the building's internal shafts and escalate the situation.
Coordinated Firefighting and Evacuation Efforts
The complex's in-house fire management team initiated the first response, working diligently to contain the advancing flames and facilitate the safe evacuation of residents before alerting the state fire services. Upon receiving the emergency call, fire officials deployed five fire tenders to the scene to bolster the efforts.
Pushpa Sinha, president of the Residents' Welfare Association (RWA), elaborated on the swift actions, stating, "Our fire management team quickly took over to evacuate those in need and contain the fire as much as possible till the firemen reached and assumed charge. Thankfully, the family had just stepped out for puja when the fire started. No one was inside the apartment, or it could have resulted in serious injuries."
Firefighters on-site encountered dense smoke accumulation inside the flat, making ventilation a critical priority. A fire official at the spot explained, "We had to break open multiple glass panes to let the trapped smoke escape and prevent it from spreading to adjacent units." Through these concerted efforts, the blaze was successfully brought under control by around 12 noon.
Injuries and Safety Measures
While no residents sustained injuries, a maintenance staff member suffered minor burns and scratches while actively assisting in the evacuation of occupants from the affected floors. He received prompt first aid on-site and did not require hospitalization, as confirmed by RWA members.
Officials further detailed that the cooking gas pipeline supply to the tower was immediately shut off upon detection of the fire. Both electricity and gas connections were restored only after receiving explicit clearance from the fire department, ensuring no residual risks remained.
Profile of the Residential Complex
Diamond City South is a prominent gated community known for housing several notable personalities, including actors Nusrat Jahan, Yash Dasgupta, and Sayantika Banerjee. The incident, though causing a temporary scare on a holiday morning, highlighted the effectiveness of prepared emergency protocols.
A resident of the same tower, who also evacuated when the fire was spotted, reflected on the outcome, saying, "Though the incident caused a temporary scare on a holiday morning, coordinated efforts between the internal response team and fire services ensured the situation was contained swiftly, preventing what could have escalated into a major mishap."
