Almost 24 hours later, Scindia House blaze doused
MUMBAI : After almost 24 hours, the fire that broke out at Scindia House in Ballard Estate, which houses the income tax department’s investigation wing and debt recovery tribunal (DRT) offices, was finally brought under control on Saturday at 5.30am. Cooling operations continued till late evening, said the Mumbai fire brigade.
PS Rahangdale, chief fire officer, said, “Although cooling operations are over, three fire engines are on standby at the spots for precaution. We are currently checking cupboards and cabinets for any fire risks.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. “It will take a few days to prepare the fire report. The cause of the fire can be ascertained only after the investigation is complete,” said Rahangdale. The fire brigade’s investigation officers are now questioning eye witnesses, said an official.
The fire, which broke out around 4:50pm on Friday, was confined to the third and fourth floor of the six-storey building. Till Saturday evening, ten fire engines and eight jumbo tankers were sent to the spot. According to the fire department, a total of over 1,50,000 litres of water was hosed on to the building for cooling operations.
No injuries were reported. Six people were rescued from
the building, while one fire fighter, Yashwant Dagdu Balsa, lost consciousness due to the lack of oxygen.
Some eyewitnesses and income tax department employees have stated that the fire brigade arrived at the spot 30 minutes after the call, and the delay
caused the fire to intensify.
ANOTHER FIRE BREAKS OUT AT REAY ROAD
Another fire broke out at a leather company in Reay Road around 4.30am on Saturday. No casualties were reported. Eight fire engines and six jumbo tankers were sent to the spot, and the fire was brought under control by 7.30am.
“We received a call about a level-two (moderate) fire at a ground plus one structure on Barrister Nath Pai Marg around 4.30am. Since the fire was spreading rapidly, we had to escalate it to a level-three fire around 6am, and got sent fire engines and water tankers to the spot. We covered the fire from all sides,” said a senior fire official.
At the time of going to print, the fire had not been completely doused.