Mumbai: Short circuit at BEST substation sparks fire near Tardeo’s Imperial building amid heavy rain

Screengrabs show flames erupting from the substation. Pic/By Special Arrangement

For residents of Tardeo, Tuesday's rain brought panic after a BEST substation near The Imperial building allegedly short-circuited, triggering an electrical fire. Locals claimed the fire intensified due to the heavy rain.

Scary escape

Kavita Gupta, who lives in a nearby building with her family and one-year-old child, told mid-day, "Since our house is on the first floor, it filled with smoke. I took my child and ran to my brother-in-law's house nearby. We were all suffocating."

Cause explained

Suresh Makhwana, BEST supply chief engineer, said, "The short circuit happened due to a private contractor damaging the cable wires while working. The fire wasn't big. The Tardeo team took time to reach the spot due to the distance."