The fire started on the fifth floor when a diya from a home Shivratri puja was left burning unattended. The residents had stepped out briefly, allowing the flame to ignite nearby materials. Alerts spread rapidly through the building, prompting a mass evacuation. Yash and Nusurat, living on a higher floor with their kids, were among the first to flee down the emergency stairs.

Four fire engines arrived promptly, containing the fire before it could climb further. No one was hurt, but the incident disrupted lives in this star-studded tower. TMC MLA and actress Sayantika Banerjee, whose flat is also here, was away in Baranagar but expressed relief upon hearing the news.

Eyewitness Shubhrajit Mitra, a director on the 18th floor, described the frenzy: ‘Lifts stopped, so we all used stairs. My sick mother slowed me down, but we made it safely.’ He detailed how the puja diya likely sparked the blaze, a common oversight during festivals.

This comes hot on the heels of another fire in Salt Lake Sector 5, where smoke hospitalized a corporate worker. Experts are now questioning electrical wiring and fire escapes in Kolkata’s booming residential complexes. While property losses mount, the lack of casualties is a silver lining, but it amplifies calls for stricter safety audits in celebrity enclaves.