A team from the fire and emergency services department went to Natural View housing complex in Ultadanga and collected samples from the 12th-floor apartment where a fire broke out late on Thursday leaving its owner with severe injuries.

“We collected fresh samples that will be sent for forensic tests to ascertain the exact cause of the fire,” said an official of the fire and emergency services department.

On Saturday morning, the family members of Mukesh Balasia, the 40-year-old chartered accountant, shifted him to CMRI Hospital from SSKM Hospital.

According to a resident of the complex who visited Balasia, he was shifted in the morning and was admitted to the critical care unit at CMRI Hospital.

An official of CMRI hospital said Balasia was critical but stable.

On Friday, Kolkata Police had said in a statement that the “fire is suspected to have been caused by bursting of firecrackers”.

The fire started “in a heap of garments on the balcony”, the statement said.

The family had kept an LPG cylinder on the balcony.

“Although we have strong suspicions that the fire started from either a lamp or after a burning fragment of fireworks landed on the balcony, we want to make sure what started it. We have started an investigation into the incident and I have also spoken to the family members who informed me that Balasia underwent surgery and is responding to treatment,” Sujit Bose, the fire and emergency services minister, said.

The residents’ welfare association of Natural View got an agency to check all
fire hydrants and fire extinguishers inside the complex on Saturday.

Sutapa Banerjee, the president of the residents’ welfare association of Natural View, said the agency in its fire audit mentioned that all hydrants, fire pumps, hoses and other equipment were working fine.

“All the fire fighting equipment inside the complex is working fine. However, we could get them running a bit late as all of us were in a state of shock. The fire brigade that reached the complex had drawn water from our pumps and used hoses to fight the fire from our fire fighting systems,” said Banerjee.

The lighting arrangements that had been done for Diwali and were supposed to remain till Monday were also kept off since last night and even the idol immersion procession was kept low-key, he said.

Balasia’ wife, his seven-year-old daughter and his mother have been living in a relative’s flat nearby since Thursday night, Banerjee added.