A fire broke out on Darjeeling’s Nehru Road on Thursday.
The area, next to the famed mall area of the hill station, is dotted with landmark heritage buildings and tourist attractions. The police have cordoned off the area and a fire engine has been pressed into action.
The smoke, which could be seen from a distance, makes it difficult to understand if the fire started from one of the hotels, restaurants or a home that surrounds the mall area.
Several tourists were seen hanging around the mall area, with luggage in tow. A few tourists said that the smoke could be seen from the storied Glenary’s Restaurant.
“It seems to have taken place at a house opposite the Pineridge Hotel area, near the Bellevue or Broadway Hotel area. We got to know it’s a building beside Shangri-La Hotel. The area is congested with shops and markets, especially cafes, handloom shops. The police were clearing the area as we saw a fire engine rushing towards the spot,” Joyjeet Das, a tourist from Kolkata, told The Telegraph Online.
Most of the homes and hotels in Darjeeling are wooden structures that are vulnerable to fires.
With January 23 (Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday) being a holiday and Republic Day coming up, there is heavy tourist footfall in the mall area of the north Bengal hill station.