Fire outbreak kills two, injures 11

Mumbai: A massive fire broke out in south Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazaar area Thursday night, in which two women lost their lives and 11 people were injured.

The fire erupted around 10.30pm in the century-old five-storeyed residential building, Punjab Mahal, located in Bohri Mohalla, Bhendi Bazaar, and the fire brigade took four hours to douse the flames.

Seven fire engines, six tumbo tankers, two quick response vehicles and two ambulances were pressed into the operation, with the police rushing to the spot. The firemen rescued 13 persons and rushed them to J.J Hospital and are now stable.

The fire spread rapidly as the building had a wooden staircase and wooden beams and people were trapped on the staircase and in the congested passage. “The fire broke out on the fourth and the fifth floors and there was high risk of part of the building collapsing. The firemen had a hard time rescuing the trapped people while simultaneously dousing the flames due to the intense smoke. Three firemen faced breathlessness and were taken to hospital,” said deputy chief fire officer, R. Chaudhary.

Two women Farida Master (60) and Nafisa Geetam (60), who were found the last in a closed room, were declared dead on arrival by the hospital. None of the victims suffered burn injuries but suffocated due to the dense smoke.

The Bhendi Bazaar is a Muslim-dominated area and was crowded at night due to the ongoing Ramzan festival. The sudden fire created chaos even as people rushed to help those trapped in the building. “More than 50 people rushed out of the building as the fire broke out. People who were offering namaaz rushed to help the trapped residents. The doors of Bakariya Immamwada and Hussaini Masjid were opened for residents of the building which was completely gutted in the fire,” said Amir Khan, a resident of the area.