Fire under control at Bhiwandi building, no casualties

The massive inferno that broke out at a four-storey residential cum powerloom building at Bhiwandi-Kasimpura near Thane this morning has been brought under control and all trapped people have been rescued successfully.

The Rahat Manzil building at Nagaon-Kanduada area housed powerloom on the ground floor and cloth godown on the first floor while the remaining three floors were occupied by 72 families.

The fire that broke out in the cloth market soon spread to the powerloom on the ground floor following which all residents rushed to the terrace of the building.

Bhiwandi Deputy Police Commissioner Sudhir Dabhade informed that over 200 people trapped on the terrace have been rescued but heavy smoke in the area was making rescue operation difficult.

He said they were working closely with the fire brigade and Thane Municipal Corporation. Six to 7 water tankers from Kalyan, Thane and Bhiwandi were pressed into service to douse the fire. Presently cooling operations are on.

No casualties have been reported so far but thematerial damage seems to be immense.