At least seven people died and 28 were injured in two major fires, one in a multi-storey building in suburban Powai, Chandivali area and the other at a Bandra slum on Saturday evening
Mumbai: At least 7 dead, 18 injured as fire breaks out in Powai building
Three weeks after the Kalbadevi fire, the city witnessed two fires in Bandra and Powai in one evening.
The first fire broke out at 5.30 pm on Saturday on the 14th floor of a 21-storeyed building — Lake Home Society on Chandivli Farm Road near Chandivli — and killed seven. Twenty-five were injured.
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Firemen douse the fire that broke out at a lakeside multi-storeyed residential building in Chandivali, Powai, situated in the suburb of Mumbai on Saturday evening. Pic/PTI
At 6 pm, another fire broke out in the slums near Bandra’s Reclamation Road that left three people injured. The Bandra fire was doused by 7.30 pm and victims were rushed to Bhabha Hospital.
Powai fire
Eight fire engines and five water tankers were deployed on the spot. Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh, said, “The Powai fire has been completely doused. Of the seven dead, four bodies were found in the lift, one on the staircase and two in the corridor. Of the 25 injured, one is an assistant station officer, who has been admitted to Hiranandani Hospital with 23 others. One civilian has been sent to Airoli for treatment.”
A fireman readies a water pipe at Powai. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
When the fire broke out, residents panicked and began to run in the corridors and some entered the lift. However, the electric supply to the lifts was cut off, trapping five residents inside. The fire fighters pulled the residents out in an unconscious condition.
Deceased and injured
The fire also left two fire officials from Andheri and Vikroli fire station — Assistant Station Fire Officers PN Pawar and Sonawane — injured. They were admitted to Hiranandani Hospital. Among the injured, a senior citizen was admitted to National Burns Centre at Airoli. Dr Sunil Keswani, plastic cosmetic and burns surgeon at National Burns Centre, said at the time of going to print, “Sixty-year-old Ashok Mukherjee has been admitted with 36 per cent burns, and we expect four to five more patients.”
Eight fire engines and five water tankers were deployed on the spot.
Tanaji Kamble, deputy fire officer of Disaster Control, said, “Seven people have been declared dead and more than 20 have been injured out of which one has been sent to the National Burns Centre at Airoli and the rest to Hiranandani Hospital.”
The fire officials claimed that they found it difficult to navigate inside the building as the staircase was blocked with goods.
Acting Chief Fire Officer, P Rahangdale said, “In this operation many people were evacuated through the staircase by the fire fighters.” Deshmukh concluded that the cause of fire will be determined today.
This incident is a haunting reminder of the fire that consumed Kalbadevi's Gokul Niwas building in South Mumbai on May 9, where four fire officers lost their lives fighting the blaze. (Read the full story)
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