20200205 Fire at Mumbai’s Malabar Hill building; 17 rescued, 3 firemen injured
India Feb 05 2020 “Apartment houses” “Building”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
Fire at Mumbai’s Malabar Hill building; 17 rescued, 3 firemen injured
Updated: 2020–02–06
MUMBAI: Three firefighters suffered burn injuries when they were trying to douse a fire that broke out in the nine-storey Las Palmas residential building at Malabar Hill on Wednesday evening.
Using ladders, firemen rescued 17 people, most of whom had rushed to the terrace.
Sources said the blaze started in a fifth-floor flat of Las Palmas building near Hanging Garden around 7.30pm. As it spread to other floors, many of the residents rushed out. Those who were alerted late and could not get out to safety ran to the terrace. Two men even slid down the drainage pipe.
Chief fire officer P S Rahangdale said, “The building is located on a dead-end road and the narrow access was challenging for fire persons to deploy resources. As the building’s firefighting system was not working, we used jets that sprayed water directly into the flames. We rescued 17 people, most of whom were on the terrace.”
Shirin Mirchandani (81), who lives on the fifth floor, said her neighbour, along with her maid and dog, were at her place when the fire broke out in the flat next door. “Her other maid rushed out of the flat screaming that there was a fire, and my cook alerted us. Later, firemen rescued me, my neighbour and our maids.”
Surendra Jadhav, who works in a flat on the seventh floor, said they were informed about the blaze via intercom. His employer, along with his wife and one of their children, were also at home. Jadhav said they rushed out and found the lobby filled with smoke. Jadhav said his employer’s family rushed into the bedroom, while he and another help took refuge in the living room. “As the smoke entered the flat, we faced difficulty breathing. We opened a window and slid down the drainage pipe. We suffered bruises while doing so, but are happy to be alive.” Firemen rescued his employer and his family.
Web Source: The times of India