Malda, July 22 -- Panic gripped the Malda Zilla Parishad office in English Bazar on Tuesday morning after a fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building. Smoke was first noticed by employees at around 9 am in the engineering section, which houses several critical government records. Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to bring the flames under control.
The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, but initial suspicion points to either an electrical short circuit or a malfunction in the air conditioning system. "We had installed a new air-conditioner on Monday. It was showing signs of malfunction and we had informed the contractor," said the head of the engineering section. "It's likely that the fire started from there."
Senior officials, including the Secretary of the Zilla Parishad, Arun Das reached the site soon after the incident. Fire department personnel confirmed that the situation is under control, but a full assessment of the damage is still pending. "There is no cause for panic. The fire has been contained and no casualties have been reported," stated Tirthankar Das, a Fire department official. Authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident to ascertain the exact cause and assess the extent of loss.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.