MUMBAI: The massive fire that broke out on the 12th floor of high-rise building in the upmarket Kemps corner area in southern part of the city has claimed lives of five of its residents, fire officials said.
Fire broke out on the 12th floor of the 26-storey Mont Blanc building on Friday evening. Five firefighters, including two officers, were injured while carrying out rescue operations.
“Five residents from the building have died in the blaze. They are yet to be identified. Their bodies have been sent to various hospitals like Jaslok, Breach Candy, JJ hospital and Nair hospital,” a official told PTI.
“There were some cylinders, which apparently exploded, injuring five firemen including two officers,” sources said.
Mumbai: A major fire broke out in the residential Mont Blanc building, opposite the Shalimar hotel, in Kemps Corner at around 7.10 pm on Friday injuring four firemen and three residents. No fatalities have been reported so far. The injured have been admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital, Bombay Hospital and Nair Hospital.
BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte said six-seven people were yet to be traced. Photo: IE
According to the fire brigade, 14 fire engines and seven water tankers were sent to douse the fire within 30 minutes. While the fire was brought under control by 10 pm, the rescue work was declared completed at 10.45 pm.
The fire broke out on the 12th floor of the 26-storey building in August Kranti Marg. Each floor in the apartment has two flats. The flat which caught fire was occupied by Dinesh Gandhi, producer of Tezaab, a Bollywood blockbuster of the late 1980s.
Chandan Yadav, who lives on the sixth floor, said, “The fire broke out due to a short circuit in a flat where some repair work was going on. However, no one was living in the flat when the fire broke out.” Soon after the fire spread, a cylinder blast also took place, residents said. This could, however, not be verified.
The injured firemen were rushed to Breach Candy Hospital. Dr Geeta Koppikar, medical director at the hospital, said, “All those injured have been admitted in the casualty ward. They have superficial burns and are stable. No inhalation problem or severe burns.” She added that several residents were brought with symptoms of asphyxiation, but did not require hospitalisation.
Piyush Shah, who lives in the neighbouring building, said, “I saw the fire spread slowly from one end to another end of the floor. No massive casualty has been there. But few people were stuck on the 12th floor for a long time.”
