Fire Breaks Out at Plush Kolkata Shopping Mall, No Casualties

The fire started around 9 am from the false ceiling of the food court on the mall building’s third floor.

The fire started around 9 am from the false ceiling of the food court on the mall’s third floor. (Photo: iStockphoto)

A fire broke out at the plush South City Mall in Kolkata early on Sunday. There was, however, no report of any casualties, a fire department official said.

The fire started around 9 am from the false ceiling of the food court on the mall's third floor, he said.

There was thick smoke coming out from the food court. The fire has been controlled completely. In all, 21 fire tenders were deployed and no casualties were reported.

Fire Department Official

The fire was brought under control by 11.30 am. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, he added.

The shops were yet to open when the fire broke out. Only the morning film shows were on. Everybody has been evacuated.

Sovan Chatterjee, Fire and Emergency Services Minister

Panic struck moviegoers and mall staffers.

"We were working downstairs. Suddenly, we heard the fire alarm but were not sure what happened. Then we were told to evacuate the mall," a mall employee said.

Around the time when smoke was seen at the popular mall, none of the shops had opened and the only place where people were seen was near the movie theatre, with the morning shows running.

"We saw a family of four entering the theatre for a show. All those at the movie halls were immediately evacuated after the alarm," another worker said.

"We were watching a movie and suddenly the screen turned black. We got very scared as we were asked to evacuate the place from the back door," a woman, who went to watch Kahaani 2, said,