Clothes put out to dry on the clothesline catch fire from unattended diya
The balcony of the third-floor flat in Samartha Aangan society seen ablaze on Sunday
An Andheri resident's balcony was set ablaze on Sunday night when clothes hanging on the clothesline caught fire from an unattended lamp (diya) lit for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's '9baje9minute' call.
Neighbours, who were in their balconies at the time — lighting candles and flashing their torches — saw the fire and started shouting, which alerted the watchman who immediately went running up to the third-floor flat and doused the fire. There was no casualty during the incident.
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The incident took place shortly after 9 pm in the flat located in wing 3B of Samartha Aangan society in Oshiwara.
A resident said, "The fire was doused using a fire extinguisher. It was over in not more than ten minutes."
According to a member of the society's managing committee, the flat is occupied by an elderly couple and their daughter. "It is an absolutely careless thing that led to the fire," said the member. "We have full security and staff of around 30 whom we have provided boarding and lodging within the society during the pandemic."
The committee member further said that since the accident took place at the front side of the building, there were enough security guards around to notice people's alarm. "There was no casualty. We have fire extinguishers on every floor and the security used one to douse the fire."
On Friday, Modi had appealed to citizens to switch off their lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday, and light candles, diyas, and switch on mobile flashlights as a demonstration of the country's collective spirit in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
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