Fourteen people, including 11 women, were killed and 19 others injured after a major fire broke out in a building in Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel here, an official said today. The injured were rushed to KEM Hospital in Parel.

"The injured are undergoing treatment at the civic-run KEM and Sion hospitals," the official from the BMC disaster management unit said. Several fire tenders, water tankers, emergency ambulance and police personnel rushed to the spot for rescue operation, he said.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight on the third floor of the four-storeyed building on Senapati Bapat Marg, a commercial hub of the city, a civic official told PTI. “The cooling operations are underway. Some of the injured people are in critical condition,” the official said. Fire officials said that they received the first call at 12:27 AM and they initially rushed eight fire engines and fire tankers to the spot. The fire was initially declared as a Level II fire before being upgraded to Level III at 12:42 AM as the fire spread.

According to fire control room the fire was reported to have broken out at a restaurant called 1 Above located in Kamla Trade House. Eyewitnesses, which included several journalists working in media organisations having their offices in the same compound, said the fire spread fast and had also affected two adjoining diner-cum-pubs.

The building, in Central Mumbai, houses some commercial establishments including hotels. According to the official, the cause of the fire remains to be ascertained.

(With inputs from The Hindu)