Fire breaks out in Mumbai building; part of it collapses

Mumbai: Fire broke out at a commercial-cum-residential building here early today, but no casualties were reported, a senior civic official said. Fourteen fire tenders and 10 water tankers were pressed into service to douse the fire, he said.

The official said a portion of the building at Pydhonie in south Mumbai collapsed after three blasts. “Our control room received a call at 1.20 am about flames emanating from the second and third floors of the ground plus three building,” the official said.

Eight people were rescued from the building, he said. The official said the building is a commercial-cum-residential property partly made of wood. Three blasts, possibly triggered by LPG cylinders, resulted in a portion of the building caving in, the officer said.

The blaze was doused around 8 am and cooling operation is currently on, he said, adding no casualties were reported till now. The structure is located in a congested area and the the fire fighting team faced difficulties in reaching the spot and dousing the flames, the official said.

The cause of the fire was not yet known, he added. The incident is latest in a spate of fire mishaps reported in the financial capital in the last four months.