Inferno under Ramabai Bridge spares no auto-rickshaw, new or old

Charred remains of an autorickshaw. Pics/Vaishnavi Shetty

Eleven auto-rickshaws were gutted in a fire that broke out under the Ramabai bridge near Chedda Nagar Junction in Ghatkopar East on Wednesday, April 1. The incident occurred around 1 pm. According to the Pant Nagar police, a call about the fire was received at 1.10 pm, and officers reached the spot by 1.17 pm.

The Vikhroli fire brigade arrived earlier at 1.12 pm and brought the blaze under control by 1.20 pm. Despite the swift response, all eleven autorickshaws were destroyed. No injuries were reported.

Drivers' loss

One of the affected drivers, Bakeel Jaiswal, said he had bought his autorickshaw eight years ago and had recently repaid the loan. "We had parked our autos under the bridge and gone home for lunch when we got a call about the fire," he said.

Fire brigade personnel at the spot

Another driver, Santosh Gaur, said he had purchased a new auto-rickshaw just ten days ago on loan. The vehicle was yet to be registered with the RTO and had been parked under the bridge for the past three days before being gutted. Another owner said his 13-year-old auto-rickshaw was also destroyed in the blaze.

Cops' suspicions

Police suspect the fire may have originated from a garbage dump beneath the bridge, though the exact cause is yet to be confirmed. "The fire is suspected to have started from burning garbage. Further investigation is underway," said Senior Inspector Lata Sutar, Pant Nagar police station.