Residents of Padma Nagar, Govandi woke up to a fire in their neighbourhood which burned around 20 shanties at 3.30 am on Wednesday. While no one was injured, locals say that the fire started in a plywood shop and as it engulfed the neighbouring shanties, a couple of gas cylinders exploded aggravating the fire.

"My husband woke me up and raised an alarm. We took our two children and ran out. But all our documents are gone and all that is left is the clothes we are wearing," Tarannum Bano (25) said.

Bano along with her two kids spent hours on Wednesday afternoon sifting through the remains in the rain to see if she could recover any of her belongings.

Another resident Jamil Ahmed, 41, said that by the time fire brigade doused the fire, half of his house was damaged. "We were sleeping and didn't even realise that a fire had broken out. People were half asleep and some didn't have enough time to pull out their cylinders and we heard at least two of them explode," he said.

Civic officials said that the fire broke out due to a short circuit and that they were informed at 4:39 am. "It was a minor fire and three people were safely rescued. The fire was doused by 7 am," said a fire official.

Sudhanshu Dwivedi, assistant municipal commissioner of M East ward said, "15 families affected by the fire and moved to a temporary shelter in a municipal school in Chikkalwadi."

Samajwadi Party MLA, Abu Azmi said, "We will help them financially and provide material to rebuild their homes. Until then, they have been given temporary accommodation and they will be taken care of," he said.

Another fire
Meanwhile, another minor fire was reported at 90 feet road, Shivaji Nagar on Wednesday. According to officials, the fire started in a furniture shop and engulfed 12 shanties. However, no injuries were reported in the incident.

"There was drizzle going on at the time of fire which helped in dousing fire quickly," ACP (Deonar Division) Vishwpal Bhujbal said. "As soon as fired started, residents came out. So no casualty or injuries" he added.

Fire in a building at Cuff Parade

A fire broke out in a building on G D Somani Marg in Cuff Parade on Wednesday evening. The fire was doused within 30 minutes and 12 people including two children were rescued. One fireman sustained minor injuries to the right hand and was taken to GT hospital.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news