20200217 Major fire breaks out at GST Bhavan in Mumbai’s Byculla; thousands evacuated, no casualty
India Nov 04 2020 “Building” “Office bldg.”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Major fire breaks out at GST Bhavan in Mumbai’s Byculla; thousands evacuated, no casualty
Updated: 2020–02–18
MUMBAI: Thousands of people were evacuated after a major fire broke out on the ninth floor of GST Bhavan at Mazgaon in Mumbai’s Byculla East on Monday afternoon.
No casualty was reported in the mishap, a fire brigade official said.
Eight fire engines and water tankers were rushed to the site.
Thick smoke can be seen billowing from the building.
There are no reports of any casualties in the incident so far, and further details are awaited, said the BMC Disaster Control.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar visited the spot to take stock of the situation.
More than thousands of people were inside the building when the fire started but all of them came out safely, said an eyewitness Mohammad Asraf.
Another witness Rahul Sharma said, “Small fire vehicles reached first but they were of no use as the blaze engulfed the top floor. It came under control only after arrival of fire brigade’s 54 metre firefighting ladder.”
“A school opposite the fire affected building — St Peter’s School—was shut for the day,” he added.
“It’s a 10-storey building. The people in the two adjoining buildings started to alert each other after noticing the blaze. There was an announcement, which helped all of them in coming out safely,” a GST employee said.
A senior GST special commissioner said, “Everyone came out safely and they were asked to call others to find out if anyone is missing, as of now no one reported missing but we can comment officially only after cooling operation. The firemen need to check the premises”.
Chief fire officer PS Rahangdale said, “They received a call around 12.32pm about the blaze which was spread across the entire ninth floor of the building”.
The fire was brought under control, said municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani.
Web Source: The Nation