Fire breaks out in Kherwadi police station; cop critically injured

The building, which has residential units on the first floor for police personnel, was immediately evacuated and the electricity was turned off.

Mumbai: An assistant sub-inspector in the Kherwadi police station, on Monday, was critically injured after an explosion and a fire in the storeroom of the police station.

Two fire tenders were rushed to the location, along with an ambulance and a team from Adani Power, which provides electricity to the area. (Vijay Bate/HT PHOTO)

“Around 12:30 pm, there was a sudden explosion in the storeroom where records are placed at the far end of the police station and ASI Arvind Khot was closest to the room. He sustained severe burns,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Dixit Gedam, Zone VIII.

The building, which has residential units on the first floor for police personnel, was immediately evacuated and the electricity was turned off. Two fire tenders were rushed to the location, along with an ambulance and a team from Adani Power, which provides electricity to the area.

“The fire was confined to electric wiring, installations and office records of the police station and no other injury was reported,” said a fire official.

The fire was doused within an hour and the building was declared safe by 4 pm after an extensive examination. Meanwhile, Khot was rushed to the Sion Hospital, where he was diagnosed with 95% burns and shifted to the Masina Hospital in Byculla for further treatment.

“An inquiry has been initiated to find out the exact cause behind the fire,” said Gedam.

Senior police inspector Rajendra Mulik of the Kherwadi police station denied reports that the fire had been caused due to a gas cylinder exploding in the storeroom.

“There were no cylinders stored in the room. The fire could have been due to any reason, including a short circuit or a cell phone battery exploding, but we will wait for the fire brigade to submit its report before we can comment on this,” Mulik said.

A team from the special branch of the Mumbai Police also visited the police station after the incident to conduct an examination of the spot. A report will be submitted to the police top brass shortly, said sources.