1 killed in Nagpada godown blaze

The fire started around noon in the ground floor of the one-storeyed structure at Abdulla Compound

While the cause of the fire that broke out in a garment godown at Nagpada on Thursday afternoon remains unclear, its source may have been a short circuit, said officials involved in the fire-fighting operations.

It took the fire fighters two hours to douse the fire that broke out in Nagpada on Thursday . (Bhushan Koyande)

The fire claimed one life and a fireman suffered minor injuries during the fire-fighting operations.

Officials from the fire department said they faced several challenges as spot was located in a congested area. The roads leading to the spot were narrow and vehicles were parked on both sides, they said.

The fire started around noon in the ground floor of the one-storeyed structure at Abdulla Compound. The fire brigade department deployed 10 fire engines, three water tankers and an ambulance and it took more than two hours to douse the fire.

The fire officials said their priority was to stop the fire from spreading. The 6,000-sqm structure is surrounded by a high-rise, garment factories and other small industries. The shop was filled with garments, wood, machinery, wiring and AC sheets that fuelled the fire.

A fire officer said, “As there was a high-rise building next to the shop, the fire could have spread. The biggest challenge was to stop the fire from spreading.”

A senior fire officer added, “When we started fighting the operations, we were told there was no one inside the godown. However, after the fire was brought under control, found a charred body.”

Chief fire officer PS Rahangdale said, “We have asked the BEST and the water department not to reinstate electricity and water supply till further orders from the fire brigade department. The cause of the fire will be known after we complete our investigation.”