A fire broke out on the first floor of Shivanand Udyog building, which housed Sai Dhyan Infotech, a service centre, in Thane at 12.15 p.m. on Wednesday.
No one was injured in the incident as employees had left the building for work. Owners of nearby shops saw smoke billowing out of the building and alerted the fire brigade and other occupants of the building. The fire brigade reached the spot at 12.40 p.m. with nine fire tenders. The blaze was doused by 2.15 p.m.
Mangal Chaurasia, a shop owner, said, “It was when the smoke had spread to all the shops that we realised there was a fire. We immediately informed the fire department, but by the time the fire brigade arrived, the entire place was gutted.”
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Shop owners in the commercial building claimed that they had suffered damages. Vicky Chavan, owner of Sai Dhyan Infotech, estimated the loss to be at least ₹3 lakh. He said, “I was out on work. I had locked the door, but the shutters of the shop were open. When I returned, I saw that a fire had broken out. There were computers, laptops, and CCTV cameras that belonged to the clients in the shop. I do not know how it happened but all the electronic equipment were switched on.”
Electronic equipment in nearby shops were also damaged. Narayan Dighe, the owner of Friends Pest Control, said, “The interiors and electronic items have been damaged. We will file a complaint.” Nilesh Vetal, fire officer of Panchpakhdi fire station, said, “A report on the fire will be prepared within the next two days.”