24 October,2020 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | A correspondent
Smoke billows from the City Centre mall in South Mumbai where a fire broke out on Thursday night. Pic/ Atul Kamble
Five firefighters were injured tackling the blaze at the City Centre mall in Nagpada, South Mumbai. The fire, which started on Thursday night and was doused after 22 hours, forced the evacuation of 3,500 residents of the adjacent 55-storey residential tower.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) received the call around 8.30 pm and rushed 24 fire engines and 16 jumbo water tankers to the site. Over 250 personnel from MFB, including chief fire officer and three deputy fire officers, and police also arrived. Six additional water tankers with employees of the BMC's hydraulic department were later deployed for continuous water supply.
The fire started on the second floor of the ground-plus-three-storey mall and everyone inside the building were evacuated before the MFB personnel arrived.
An MFB officer said, "The fire broke out in one of the shops on the second floor. The area was filled with smoke as there wasn't any ventilation and firemen had to break the glass windows to gain access to the area."
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Shop owners gather near the mall as firefighters try to douse the blaze, on Thursday night.
Another officer said that there were shops of mobiles, printers, stationery, furniture, etc, nearby and the fire spread rapidly and spread to the third floor.
By early Friday, the MFB increased the level of the fire to the fifth level - the last - from the third level declared around 10.45 pm on Thursday.
Fireman Shamroa Banjara, who suffocated while trying to douse the fire, was treated at the OPD of the JJ hospital. Firemen Ravindra Chaugule, Bhausaheb Badane, Sandeep Shirke and Deputy Fire Officer H V Girkar were injured and discharged after treatment.
Mayor Kishori Pednekar, MLA Amin Patel, BMC Additional Commissioner Suresh Kakani also visited the spot at night.
Most of the evacuated residents of Orchid Tower went to their relatives' place, while others were shifted to a safe place. Traffic on both sides of Belasis road was suspended till afternoon. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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