Mumbai: Four fires were reported on Tuesday, taking the number of such incidents this year to eight.
Around 5.30 p.m., a fire broke out at a bamboo godown at Amboli Naka on S.V. Road, Andheri. The fire brigade received a call at 5.32 p.m. and sent six engines and six water tankers to the spot. The fire was extinguished at 7.52 p.m. No casualties were reported.
The fire, which was declared Level II at 6.08 p.m., affected three godowns adjacent to it. Traffic was blocked and routes of 10 buses heading towards Andheri station were diverted via D.N. Nagar and Juhu Circle. The firefighting operation was on at the time of filing this report.
The area has approximately 15 to 20 godowns, said BMC officials.
In Koparkhairane, seven huts were destroyed in a fire at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The blaze broke out in a hut located at Sector 12 D.
While 63-year-old Munna Khan received injuries after falling unconscious, Akadu Damu (45) Valche received 50% burns. “The reason behind the fire is unknown. The fire spread due to plastic sheets used to construct the houses,” an officer from Vashi fire station said.
Similarly, the fire brigade received a call at 10 a.m. about a fire in a ground plus three residential apartment on Juhu Tara Road in Vile Parle. “Firefighters put out the blaze in 25 minutes,” the official said.
At midnight, a fire broke out at Dockyard Road, which gutted seven shops. The incident occurred in Shukla Chawl near Darukhana bus stop. The fire brigade received a call at 12.07 a.m. and sent six fire engines and four water tankers to the spot.
It took two hours to extinguish the fire. Officers said the fire started at a spot above the meter room. “Our investigations are still under way, but we believe that the fire might have caused due to a short circuit. The wires were very old, and there were loose cables on the loft which caused the blaze to spread,” a senior fire officer said.
The chawl has around 30 to 35 small shops. Investigations are on to find out whether the owner of the establishments had the required permissions to carry out their businesses.
“People should be alert and inform the department about such incidents. They should keep a watch on electrical wiring in residential buildings and commercial outlets,” said Deputy Chief Fire Officer Kailash Hivrale.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya visited three film and TV studios at Cinevista. He said these studios, located in Kanjurmarg and Bhandup, don’t have proper firefighting systems. “I told this to the municipal commissioner and demanded action against the studios.”
( With inputs from Raina Assainar, PTI )
