Massive fire destroys 3,000 shops in India

An enormous fire swept through a market in eastern India, gutting more than 3,000 shops and leaving nearly a dozen fire-fighters injured, a fire official said. Hundreds of people were moved out of shop buildings as firemen struggled for 13 hours to contain the blaze in the biggest wholesale market in the eastern city of Kolkata.
Huge clouds of smoke billowed from high-rises. "Nearly a dozen fire-fighters were injured," deputy director of fire brigade Gopal Bhattacharya said, adding that no deaths had been reported. Police said the fire had been brought under control and would be fully contained in a few hours. Authorities were investigating the cause.
Thirty-four fire engines were deployed to fight the blaze. Policemen also had to be sent to the area to pacify angry shop owners who said fire-fighters had been late arriving on the scene.