Fire breaks out in commercial complex in Thane; patients from nursing home evacuated

Blazed on fifth floor was doused within 30 minutes; no casualties reported

A fire broke out on the fifth floor of Samarth Arcade complex in Thane on Tuesday morning. Fire department officials evacuated seven patients and staff of a nursing home located in same building.

Two fire engines, two rescue vehicles and one water tanker were sent to the spot. (Praful Gangurde)

The fire started around 9.45am in a builder’s office located in the six-storey structure near Holy Cross school, Uthalsar Road, officials said. Thane’s Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) dispatched two fire engines, two rescue vehicles and one water tanker to the spot, and brought the fire under control within 30 minutes.

Fire broke out on the fifth floor of the six-storey Samarth Arcade on Uthalsar Road, Thane. (Praful Gangurde)

Builder Sanjay Bhalerao’s office has been damaged badly in the blaze, but there were no casualties. “No one was injured, but we evacuated two patients, a two-day-old baby, two relatives of patients and two staff members of Prathamesh Nursing Home from the building’s first floor. It was just a precautionary measure; the nursing home was not affected,” said Santosh Kadam, in charge of RDMC.

“When the fire started, the office was closed and locked, so the large window glass shattered. Only when smoke started coming out of the window did people realise there was a fire,” Kadam explained. “The reason behind the fire has not yet been determined.”

A fire officer, Chandrakant Davle, suffered minor injuries and has been treated, Kadam added.