Kolkata's Ezra street fire still not under control after a day

In the bustling heart of Central Kolkata's iconic Ezra Street electric market, what remains a smoky battleground even after a full day post fire outbreak turning what should have been a quiet weekend into a scene of chaos and choked breaths. More than 20 firefighters, battling since yesterday morning have thrown everything at the blaze yet thick plumes of acrid smoke continue to curl from hidden corners of the aging multi-story complex, sending shoppers and residents scrambling in wide-eyed panic.

The inferno, sparked possibly by a short circuit amid tangled wires and stacked electrical goods, has scorched several shops packed floor-to-ceiling with gadgets, cables, plastics, and volatile chemicals, creating a toxic haze.Nearby streets, usually alive with bustling crowd now echoes with anxious murmurs due to the fire while Kolkata Police cordoned off the zone to keep curious crowds at bay— a stark reminder of how one rogue spark can paralyze a vital artery of the city's economy.

Reportedly, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, Kolkata CP Manoj Kumar Verma, and Deputy Commissioner of Police-Central Division Indira Mukherjee, Ranvir Kumar, Director General, West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services alongwith local Congress councillor Santosh Pathak and few BJP leaders visited the area yesterday and took stock of the situation. With cooling operations stretching into today's afternoon as well, urging a full safety audit once the smoke clears to prevent future flare-ups in these tinderbox markets. For the shop owners, many of whom watched helplessly as their livelihoods went up in wisps, the ordeal is a gut punch: lost electric stocks worth lakhs.