Blaze starts in plastic and leather godown and spreads fiercely due to the presence of chemicals
A massive fire tore through a commercial building in the Kamathipura area on Monday, injuring eight people, including five women and a two-year-old child. The blaze erupted in the leather and plastic godown around 9.15 am and spread aggressively due to the presence of chemicals, bringing down the entire structure by afternoon.
The locals had acted immediately and rescued eight people from the ground plus one-storey 'China Building' at R S Nimkar Marg, Nagpada, and adjacent chawls where the smoke penetrated. They were admitted to Nair hospital with breathing difficulty.
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The fire started around 9.15 am and was put out by 5 pm. Pic/Suresh Karkera
The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) arrived on the spot only after half-an-hour and an hour later the MFB personnel declared it a level-3 (major) fire. Ten fire engines and 11 jumbo water tankers were rushed to the spot. The fire-fighters were able to put out the blaze by 5 pm.
Rajendra Narvankar, a local corporator, told mid-day that there are residential as well as commercial buildings in the area. The fire broke out in the godown and spread to the entire building due to chemicals used for leather and plastic stored in the godown.
Tabresh, an eyewitness and resident of Nagpada, said, "There are many illegal factories that use chemicals. The civic body took action against those running these factories some years back. But they again started their illegal business."
The chief medical officer at Nair hospital has identified the injured as Adil Qureshi, 20, Chandani Shaikh, 25, Nisha Devi, 32, Neha Qureshi, 27, Chandadevi, 60, Ranjana Devi, 24, Sanjana Devi, 30, Mohanram, 70, and Aniya, 2. They are stable now.
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