A fire engulfed the Bombay Talkies industrial area in Malad on Tuesday morning. No casualties were reported in the blaze that was brought under control by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The blaze erupted in a commercial unit in Somwar Bazaar at 11.27 a.m. Thick black smoke could be seen emanating from the factory building from a distance. Eight fire fighting engines and three jumbo tankers were rushed to the site, officials said.
“The control room was informed at 11.50 a.m. There were no casualties or injuries reported in the incident,” fire officials said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Malad Congress MLA Aslam Sheikh demanded that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation come up with a comprehensive plan to check the increasing number of fire incidents in the megacity.
On August 22, a fire broke out on the 12th floor of a posh high-rise residential building in Dadar, killing four and injuring 16 others. On August 27, a fire engulfed a three-storey residential building in Parel, and there were no casualties.
Metro site fire
A minor fire broke out in the launching shaft at Terminal Two of the under construction Metro 3 line on Tuesday. There were no injuries or casualties.
The fire was caused due to welding, said a spokesperson of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). “A hot metal that was being welded dropped and caused a tarpaulin to catch fire,” he said. The fire started at 11.05 a.m. and was doused by 11.15 a.m. with the help of a water tanker at the site, by MMRC staff and workers.
“According to the statutory safety norms, we need to ensure that there is a water tanker at all our sites. As soon as a fire occurs, we need to call the fire brigade as per the Standard Operating Procedure,” the spokesperson said. The fire brigade sent engines, but the fire had already been doused.