A major fire broke out early on Sunday in a five-storey building in Gariahat, south Calcutta, gutting goods worth lakhs and destroying multiple shops next to the building, a senior fire department official said.

There are no reports of deaths yet.

At least 19 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire in the Traders Assembly building after it was noticed around 1am. The building houses a garment store on the ground and first floor and residential apartments on the floors above, the official told PTI.

A major fire broke out early on Sunday in a five-storey building in Gariahat, south Calcutta, gutting goods worth lakhs and destroying multiple shops next to the building, a senior fire department official said.

There are no reports of deaths yet.

At least 19 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire in the Traders Assembly building after it was noticed around 1am. The building houses a garment store on the ground and first floor and residential apartments on the floors above, the official told PTI.

All families have been evacuated and no one was injured in the fire, the official said, adding that some people had to be taken to hospital after they complained of breathing problems.

'The building does not have an elevator and people had to climb down stairs to escape the fire,' the official said.

What caused the fire was yet to be ascertained, he said.

'At the moment, the fire has been brought under control. Our men are fighting tooth and nail to douse the blaze,' the official said. Traffic movement has been restricted in the area.

Earlier, a fire department official had said a blast in a transformer could have started the fire.

State fire minister Sujit Bose visited the site earlier in the day.