Mumbai: A major fire broke out in Mandala, Mankhurd and raged till late on Thursday. Two people were injured in the fire, which destroyed several small-scale manufacturing units, said officials. According to Mankhurd police, the fire broke out around 6 p.m. in one of the scores of units next to the scrap market, and quickly spread to several units around it, leading to panic and chaos.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade had earlier sent 10 fire tenders to the spot, but soon sent seven more along with eight jumbo water tankers and five water tankers as the fire spread. “Two men were rescued when the fire started, and have sustained burn injuries. It is difficult to say at this point whether anyone is trapped inside the burning units,” a civic official said.
The injured have been identified as Raju Yadav, 30, and Ajay Pal, 40. Officials said Mr. Yadav has sustained 10 to 12 per cent burns and is admitted to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, while Mr. Pal has suffered 14 per cent burns and is currently being treated at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
While there are no residential areas near the site of the fire, a cluster of illegal hutments adjacent to the market was evacuated and its residents were shifted to three municipal schools for the time being. The area, which houses small godowns that store chemicals, carpentry units and oil packaging units, is congested. The lack of space is interfering with firefighting operations, officials said.
“The fire had been subdued around 10 p.m., but flared up again shortly. The presence of a large quantity of flammable material like wood, oil and chemicals is making it worse,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the flames and smoke could be seen in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, and several took to Twitter, posting pictures and updates. Fire officials were still struggling to bring the blaze under control till late on Thursday.
