At least 67 shanties behind City Centre II in New Town were gutted by a fire on Tuesday, police said.

The fire broke out around 10.30am in one of the shanties and spread to the others, a resident said.

Noor Hassan Mollah, 38, a butcher by profession, said he had stepped out of his bamboo and plastic shanty on hearing an explosion to find one of the huts on fire.

“I rushed back inside and gathered all my belongings and moved to safety before fetching a bucket of water and trying to douse the flames… they kept spreading fast because of the wind,” he said.

As the flames leapt towards the sky, residents of Uttara Tritiya, a housing complex that overlooks City Centre II, alerted the fire brigade and the police.

Shalini Srivastava, one of the residents who had called the fire brigade, said fire engines arrived within 15 minutes of her call.

A fire officer said six fire engines had been sent to the area. “The narrow lane made our work difficult. There have been no reports of casualties or injuries,” the fire officer said.

Rahima Biwi who works as a household help in nearby apartment complexes said their huts had been damaged in Cyclone Amphan.

“Now, the fire has taken away almost everything. I managed to save some of my son’s books and clothes,” she said.

Her son Armaan studies in Class IV in a free primary school.

State urban and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim visited the area and promised to rebuild the structures using tin.

Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation mayor Krishna Chakraborty visited the area. She said the residents had been provided with blankets and clothes.