A fire broke out inside a paint godown at Murari Pukur in Maniktala here around 11am on Sunday sparking panic among a section of locals who initially tried their hands in dousing the leaping flames before informing the fire tenders.

It took three fire tenders close to two hours to bring the fire under control at the godown, located in a densely populated pocket of north Calcutta.

Senior officials of the fire department said the presence of chemicals posed a challenge in fighting the fire.

“Primarily it didn’t appear that the godown had fire fighting arrangements in place. The final report will be submitted later,” said a senior officer of the department.

Bystanders said within minutes of spotting the fire, the entire area was filled with thick dark fumes as flames continued to leap from the terrace of the godown.

Police said no one was injured. The stretch where the godown is located is densely populated with several buildings located just on the other side of the boundary wall.

Eeyewitnesses told police that a group of youths scampered down with buckets of water believing the fire was confined to one of the pockets of the godown. Later, when they realised that the fire had engulfed the whole structure, they informed the police and the fire services department.

“There were several inflammable articles packed inside the godown contributing to the fire’s growth over time. Around 1 pm, we could bring it under control,” the officer said.