1 killed,28 injured in fire at Bandra

Twenty six fire engines,10 water tankers,three aerial ladders,two high pressure pumps and six ambulances were pressed into service for fire-fighting operations.

The 28 injured,including three firemen who sustained superficial injuries,were rushed to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra. An official from Bhabha Hospital said that while most were discharged after giving first aid,four patients have been admitted to the hospital for further treatment. “The body of the person who died was charred beyond recognition. He was declared brought dead,” said the official.

Fire officials said that they had hard time controlling the fire. The cheek-by-jowl shanties had poor accessibility making it difficult for firemen to douse the flames.

Fire chief Karguppikar added that fire-fighting was made more difficult by a violent and uncontrollable mob. “The crowd didn’t allow us to carry on with our work. They threw stones at our firemen,forcefully took away our ladders and equipment and tried dousing the fire themselves,” he said.

Fire officials said that the brick-wall structures — several of them two to three storeys — are unauthorised. “The fire started from inside the slum and became stronger when the breeze started fanning it. Most of the burnt hutments are residences but there were a few small manufacturing units. There were at least 50 gas cylinder explosions in the night” said S Hussain,a contractor who has been living in Behrampada since he was a child.

“Luckily my house was on the other side so I was spared. However,I think the fire brigade could have reached earlier and saved more shanties,” said 19-year-old Behrampada resident Arshad Khan.

Due to the narrow lanes,the work of clearing the debris went on till late on Thursday night.