Mumbai: Bandra residents douse blazing car before fire brigade reaches spot

Residents act fast and use their high-pressure firefighting system to tackle the 'big ball of fire'

Quick-thinking action taken by residents and staff of Silver Spring society near Carter Road in Bandra West, helped to douse a fire that had broken out in a car parked outside the building, much before the fire brigade could reach the spot. The blaze occurred around 2 pm on Wednesday. Sanjeev Mehta, the building secretary, said a security guard informed him about a maroon Indica going up in flames.

The fire brigade having got stuck in traffic

'Big ball of fire'
"Keeping the seriousness of the situation in mind, I immediately called up the fire brigade. Rushing down, my first instinct was to use the fire extinguishers, but suspecting that they would be inadequate to douse what resembled a big ball of fire, fifty metres from our compound, our building staff was instructed to use the high pressure firefighting system we have installed," he said.

Arrives a little late and takes control of the situation

Mehta added that with the help of bystanders, they pulled out the hose, attached it to the hydrant and started the pump, directing the high intensity water jet to the burning car. "We managed to douse the flames within 10 minutes. By then, the fire brigade had also arrived at the spot, despite getting stuck in traffic, and taken control of the situation. Luckily, no one was in the car," Mehta said.

Fire brigade says
Bandra Fire Station in-charge, Pritam Sawant appreciated the quick-thinking and prompt action by the building members. "Any burning vehicle filled with fuel can spread the blaze within minutes, and the same could have happened here, much before we reached the spot," he said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, current affairs from Mumbai, local news, crime news and breaking headlines here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go