Residents of Kamala Nagar in Dharavi averted a major tragedy by getting everyone out of a factory and some houses that were engulfed in a fire, which broke out in the wee hours of Wednesday. No one was hurt, but residents suffered heavy losses, said officials. According to the BMC’s disaster control record, the fire erupted around 4.22 am when local residents were fast asleep. The firefighters extinguished the blaze by 11.50 am.

“Around 4 am, I heard people shouting and rushed out of my house. They said there was a fire, so I brought my parents out first and then helped others alert those still indoors. Most people brought their LPG cylinders outside to a safe place, too,” said Arshad Sheikh, a local resident who runs a small unit of fabric. “We first noticed the fire at a meter box and a factory next to it. Some people tried to put it out with water, but it spread rapidly. We also heard cylinder blasts three-four times.