Barely three days after a fire gutted a restaurant and melted its staircase on Park Street in Kolkata’s central business district, it was the turn of Acropolis Mall, a popular destination in the city’s southeastern part, on Friday.
Around 11.45am, a fire broke out on the third floor of Acropolis Mall next to Geetanjali stadium in Kasba’s Rajdanga on the busy Rashbehari connector of the EM Bypass. Swift action by the mall’s security personnel ensured quick evacuation and no casualties were reported. Those evacuated were asked to move to the stadium grounds for safety.
My Kolkata reached ground zero soon after. A cloud of smoke hung heavy and a burning smell filled the air. More than 10 fire tenders stood lined up in front of the mall. Police had blocked off access to the area around the mall. The road between the mall and Rene Tower was sealed off. Firemen inside the mall had smashed portions of the glass facade on either side of the mall to let the smoke out.
Fifteen fire tenders rushed to the spot and contained the blaze. Soumyajit Dey
A fire tender entered the Geetanjali stadium gate beside the mall and used a hydraulic ladder to gain access to the mall’s exterior and break the glass from the outside. Fire-fighters were spotted yanking off posters from the facade of the mall to enter the smoke-filled upper floors inside Acropolis.
The police had a tough time managing the crowd of onlookers outside the mall, ensuring that they kept a safe distance.
My Kolkata spoke to a few people on the spot and over phone. Here are excerpts from the conversation:
We could see black smoke coming out from the Crossword store on the third floor. We immediately ordered all our staff to leave through the emergency exit at the back of the mall. We evacuated within 10 minutes of spotting the fire and none of our staff has been harmed in any way.
— An employee of Cinepolis on the third floor who was present at the mall when the fire broke out
Our employees at Hoppipola and Asia Kitchen are all safe. We had not opened for the day when the fire broke out, so all staff have been sent home. We will wait for clearance from Acropolis Mall to resume operations once they ascertain it is safe to proceed.
—- Senior employee at Speciality Restaurants
The fire started around 11.45am. Fire prevention measures were put into place almost immediately. The fire alarms were activated and announcements were made on the public address system, asking people inside the building to assemble and proceed outwards. The mall’s electric systems were shut down immediately.
— M.L. Roy, chief engineer of Merlin group
All our employees are safe and sound. God is kind that there is no casualty and everyone is safe. The mall team and the fire department have done a great job. We do not know the extent of the damage yet, if any. We will assess the conditions once we are allowed to enter the building.
— Rishi Bajoria, franchise owner of Chili's Grill & Bar on the fourth floor
Firefighters break glass sheets of the building to let the smoke escape. Soumyajit Dey
I was sitting in class when the children said there might be a fire at Acropolis Mall. I did not pay much heed but when I looked out, the sky did look grey. In a few moments, images and messages about the fire started pouring in on WhatsApp. My colleague’s husband, who works on the 18th floor of the mall, said offices in the building were being evacuated. Parents of students in the two schools near the mall were worried whether the children would get stuck and whether the buses would be able to leave on time. The school buses, however, managed to leave by the road behind the building and were not delayed. After school got over, app cabs too were unavailable. We managed to leave for home in a colleague’s car. The roads were very empty on the way to Gariahat from Kasba with few cars plying.
— Sukanya Bhattacharya, teacher at a school near the mall
The mall has a robust firefighting system. As soon as smoke was detected in the mall, the smoke extraction system was put on and fire pumps were operated to sprinkle water. We thank the fire services department for quick response. The police also kept the situation under control. We will take adequate measures to find out what exactly happened and conduct an internal investigation. We have been operating the mall for nine years without any untoward accident. We are very trying to restore normalcy as early as possible as many persons are employed in various establishments in the building.
— Krishna Jha, senior operations manager, Acropolis Mall
We could see the smoke from Rene Towers. Our work continues as per normal, given we remain unaffected by the fumes coming from Acropolis.
— Roshni Paul, VFS Global, Rene Tower
With inputs by Urvashi Bhattacharya
