Mumbai: Dharavi houses, factories charred in pre-dawn fire

A major fire broke out at Kamala Nagar in Dharavi, around 4.22 am of Wednesday. Firefighters were able to douse it by 11.50 am. Pics/Shadab Khan

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.

"My house is safe, but my fabric-cutting machines were destroyed by fire. We had two machines, each costing around Rs 8 lakh. Now, we will have to start our business from scratch," Sheikh said. Muzamil Idris, a worker, said some of them were sleeping at a garment factory where they work. "We heard a loud sound and ran outside. There was a fire and smoke everywhere," he added.

Younus Ansari, a garment factory owner, said, "I lost everything in this fire. I had a large stock of fabric with 50-60 sewing machines. Everything was burned to ashes." "But, I am relieved that about 20 of my workers who were sleeping in the factory are safe. They ran out of the factory in time. They then called me to inform me about the blaze. I live in Dharavi, but by the time I reached here, the fire had spread everywhere," Ansari added.

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"My brother woke up around 4 am after hearing a noise outside. When he went out, he saw everybody running. There was chaos. He then found out that there was a fire. He woke us all up and we came out of the house. All six of us, including my brother, his wife and three kids, are safe. But, we have lost everything. My brother underwent angioplasty 15 days back and all his medical reports kept at home were burnt," said Muhammad Naim Ansari.

Deva Reddy, a local resident, said the fire did not reach his house, but the houses and factories on the other side of the road were gutted. "The machinery and materials at the factories were destroyed," he added.

Sanjay Singh, who used to live in the area, said, "When I came here, I saw the fire spreading. The fire brigade was trying to control the blaze, but they faced a challenge to reach its source because of the narrow lane. While one side of the lane is lined with a number of garment units, the other side has houses." Twelve fire engines, eight jumbo tankers, one tanker were used to extinguish the fire.

Sanjay Manjrekar, chief fire officer, said, "The fire was extinguished around 11.50 am and the cooling operation was conducted until 2 pm. We faced challenges during fire fighting because of the narrow lane. The fire spread rapidly because of inflammable materials in the factories, and reached around 100 structures. The cause of the fire is still unclear and will be clarified after investigation."

The blaze was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, clothes, papers, sewing machines, garments factories, bakeries, warehouses and household articles, said a fire brigade official. The BMC had to demolish parts of 12-13 structures to make to the source of the fire. The fire brigade team were at the spot until late evening. The site is under observation, as there are many flammable materials in the area, said officials. On February 1, a 62-year-old woman died after a fire broke at 90 Feet Road in Dharavi.