Candle lit during 'diya jalao' drive causes fire in building

Palghar: A fire broke out at a residential building in Maharashtra’s Palghar district after a candle lit by a family came in contact with a plastic net in their balcony on Sunday night, a fire official said.

No casualty was reported in the mishap that took place after the family living in an apartment here lit the candle in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to defeat coronavirus by switching off lights in their premises for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday amid the national lockdown.

The family members lit the candle in the balcony of their fifth floor apartment in a building located in Nallasopara area.

“However, a plastic net put up in the balcony to guard against birds caught fire from the candle flame. The fire spread as the burning net fell on another net installed in a balcony of an unoccupied apartment of the third floor,” fireman Trupesh Marde said.

“On getting information about the blaze, Marde and other some firemen rushed to the spot and doused the flames within 10 minutes,” the official said.

“There was no casualty in the incident,” he added.