Goods worth lakhs gutted in Dharavi slum fire

A raging fire engulfed the Dharavi slum area in Mumbai today, causing extensive damage to the godowns and houses. More than eight godowns were gutted along with goods worth several lakhs of rupees.

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The fire was noticed at around 2.15 am, when most of the people were asleep in their slums.

Due to the plastic goods in the godowns, the fire rapidly spread to the houses and godowns nearby.

One woman and two children were taken to a local hospital as they fell sick due to suffocation.

The firemen were struggling for hours to douse the fire completely.

"The godown (where the fire broke out) had mostly plastic and empty oil drums, which is why the fire spread rapidly. But now it is under control," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dhananjay Kulkarni.

So far no casualties have been reported from the site of fire. A large number of policemen were posted in the locality and power supply was switched off.

Nearly 12 fire engines and tankers were brought in to control the blaze.u00a0