Kolkata, Oct 23 : A major fire broke out in a printing press in the Amherst Street area of north Kolkata. No casualty was reported so far, said officials.

Seven fire engines were at the spot to douse the fire. Firefighters were working on a war footing to bring the fire under control. Following the fire, the entire area has been covered in black smoke. However, no one has been injured in the fire.

The fire broke out as the people were busy preparing for the cherished festival of 'Bhai Phonta (Bhai dooj)'.

As it is a congested area, firefighters were having a challenging time putting out the fire.

Some of the firefighters were seen wearing gas masks as the black smoke engulfed the area. However, it was not clear how the fire started. The initial assumption of the fire department is that it may have started due to a short circuit.

"We are trying to bring the fire under control. Too much smoke is causing inconvenience to our firefighters," said a fire brigade officer.

It is learnt that local people saw black smoke coming out of the printing press this morning. The local fire department and police were immediately informed. At first, three fire engines rushed to the spot one by one. However, the area is so congested that the firemen had to walk a few metres to the incident spot. Later, four more fire engines reached near the spot.

Since it was a printing press, a large amount of flammable material was stored there, said officials. Due to that, the fire spread instantly and became intense quickly. The surrounding area was filled with black smoke.

According to the police, several nearby shops were damaged in the fire. However, the firefighters were working to stop the fire from spreading further.

Just two days ago, a massive fire broke out at a dye factory in Khardah of the North 24 Parganas district. The fire also spread to the nearby T-shirt-making factory. About 20 fire engines were used to douse the fire.

/IANS