Mumbai: Kurla LTT fire started at under-construction pod hotel

A major fire which broke out in the concourse of Kurla LTT was brought under control by fire brigade personnel. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

A major fire, which broke out at Kurla LTT on Wednesday afternoon, is suspected to have originated from the under-construction pod hotel. The area was enveloped in thick smoke as local officials said the foam material brought in for the hotel also caught fire and later spread to the Jan Ahaar canteen at the station. Fire brigade officials said it took about two hours to extinguish the flames.

Divisional railway manager Rajneesh Goyal visited the spot and said they had initiated a probe into the incident and the exact cause of the fire was being investigated. A senior official said, "The contractor's workforce was carrying out work on the pod hotels. Prima facie, it seems that the sparks from the welding work fell on the foam material which then led to the fire."

A pod hotel is being constructed in the concourse area. Adjacent to the pod hotel is Jan Ahar canteen and below both these structures is the passenger ticket reservation system. With a size of six by eight feet, the pods are compact and offer a classy look and feel with less space.

As per the details provided by the fire department, the fire was reported at 3.02 pm and extinguished at 5.45 pm. While the power was switched off at the station for some time, train operations were not affected. "The main fire was extinguished at 3.30 pm. Later on, smoke was brought under control by 5-6 pm," a CR spokesperson said.

"There was a lot of crowd in the lobby when the fire first broke out and the RPF and railway police did a fine job in evacuating the premises promptly," an eyewitness said. LTT handles long-distance trains for southern and northern parts of India. The fire occurred in the north wing of the station's concourse area.

3.02 pm
Time fire at the pod hotel construction site was first reported