Commercial building partially gutted in fire; no casualty

A commercial building was partially gutted in a major fire that was brought under control after six hours in suburban Andheri on Thursday, but no casualty was reported, officials said.

The fire broke out in the ground-plus four-storey building located in Rolta Technology Park in the Marol area at around 11.30 am, they said.

At around 5.30 pm, firefighters brought the blaze under control after nearly six hours of efforts, but cooling operation inside the building was underway till late night, they said.

No casualty was reported, the officials said.

Though the fire has been contained, cooling operation was still continuing, Mumbai's Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

A total of 12 fire engines, three special equipment, several water tankers, along with 100 fire officers and men were pressed in the service to douse the flames, he said.

According to the officials, the fire started from the server room located on the second floor of the building, but later it rapidly spread to other parts of the structure, gutting a major portion of it.

As a major part of the building was engulfed by flames, the Fire Brigade escalated the fire call to "level four" (serious) around 1.50 pm, they said.

Rahangdale said dense smoke engulfed the building and its staircases, posing difficulties in the firefighting operation.

Presence of aluminium cladding, glass facade and lack of ventilation in the building made their task difficult, the officer said.

Glass facade, aluminium cladding, covered roof, encroachment in fire passages, non-ventilation were major issues faced during the firefighting operation," he said.

Rahangdale said the firefighting system of the building was not functional.

As the building's fire system was not in working condition, its power and water supply will be cut off, said Rahangdale.

More than 100 breathing apparatus and thermal imaging cameras were used by firefighters in the entire operation, he said.

"The firemen battled to contain the blaze from inside as well as outside the building using special equipment and donning breathing apparatus sets, Rahangdale said.

The Fire Brigade said MIDC officials will be asked to produce documents for all requisite permissions granted by them, including for roof-top covering and any inspection or notice issued to the commercial building.