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Fires At Three Commercial Premises In Mumbai

There was no casualty, but a fire officer fainted while trying to douse the flames at one of the spots.

Smoke billows from the site of the incident in Mumbai. (Source: PTI)
Smoke billows from the site of the incident in Mumbai. (Source: PTI)

Fires were reported at three commercial establishments including an office of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait in Mumbai on Thursday, officials said.

There was no casualty, but a fire officer fainted while trying to douse the flames at one of the spots, they said.

A major blaze erupted around 5:15 a.m. at the office and server room of Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait on the ground floor of the 15-storey Jolly Maker Chamber 2 building at Nariman Point, a fire brigade official said.

The flames spread across electrical wiring and installations, office furniture, records and important documents, computers, UPS battery and false ceiling in an area of 4,000 square feet on the ground floor, he said.

Nine fire engines including water tankers were rushed to the spot, he said, adding that the cause of fire was yet to be ascertained.

The flames were extinguished after nearly three hours. The smoke-filled premises were ventilated by breaking window glass panes.

The fire alarm system in the bank office was found to be working, but the sprinkler system was not activated, the official said.

Another fire broke out in the three-storey P-2 building at Raghuvanshi Mill Compound in Lower Parel in central Mumbai around 9:30 a.m., the fire brigade official said.

The fire spread from the ground floor to the upper floors, he said.

It was initially reported as a `level-2' fire, but was later upgraded to 'level-3' and then to 'level 4'. It was brought under control in the afternoon.

After visiting the spot, Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that due to heavy smoke, the fire brigade took some time to find the source of the flames, which were found to have been caused by a short circuit. Though the flames caused huge damage, no casualties have been reported so far.

A fire brigade officer suffered a minor cut injury during the operation, but he was allowed to go home after treatment in 108-ambulance.

Fourteen fire engines and nine jumbo tankers were used for dousing the fire along with other equipment.

Before these two incidents, two godowns containing electrical equipment, furniture and a hydraulic compressor machine were gutted in a fire at Nanddham industrial estate in Marol area of suburban Andheri around 12:45 a.m., another official said.

A deputy fire officer fainted while trying to douse the flames and was rushed to a hospital, he said, adding that the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

The deputy fire officer later tested positive for Covid-19 with a slight pneumoniatic patch observed in the lungs in CT scan, according to a senior fire brigade officer. His condition was stable.