Navi Mumbai: The battle to control the fire at Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCI) in Mahape MIDC entered the third day on Wednesday with one tender of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and one tender of breathing apparatus were called in.
Lack of ventilation worsened the situation making it difficult for firefighters to go in. “We were forced to break the the glasses from three sides on the ground and the first floor for the smoke to emit. We have 11 fire tenders, including the one from the MFB, and 10 water tenders engaged in the operation,” MIDC fire officer R.B. Patil said.
The breathing apparatus has 25 cylinders and masks. “The apparatus has a time limit of 45 minutes and after 30 minutes, the warning alarm goes on. But in a situation like this when the smoke is dense, the apparatus hardly lasts 20 minutes,” fire officer Surendra Chaudhary from Koparkhairane fire station said.
At around 5.30 p.m. on Monday, staff of the SHCI noticed smoke coming from the basement. The building, which has ground plus two floors and another three floors in the basement, was immediately evacuated.
A SHCI spokesperson said, “All major offices, including the data centre, are running. The repository where the records of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Stock Holding Document Management Services Limited, are stored, has been partially affected. The extent of loss to property and documents is yet to be assessed.”
The prima facie reason behind the fire seems to be a short circuit. “The sprinklers in the basement and the firefighting system have come in handy, or else the fire could have damaged the entire building. Right now, our focus is to bring the fire under control. After that, we will investigate the reason,” Mr. Patil said.
He also said that the basement is divided into four bays and the fire emerges from the fourth bay. “There are chances that the other bays would have been affected.”
Meanwhile, hit by the smoke, residents of Adavali and Butavali tribal areas have complained of respiratory problems.
Stock Holding Corporation is a depository services provider acting as an intermediary between stock market investors, brokers, and exchanges. “We could find out about the damage to files only after we check the area. There is no staffer stationed at the basement and rarely anyone visits there as storing of files is automated,” the spokesperson said.
