Elderly Woman Dead In Fire At Mumbai High-Rise

A woman was killed in a massive fire that broke out at a multi-storied residential building in Mumbai's Kurla West on Wednesday morning. The fire was later put out in a joint operation by the fire services personnel and the police.

According to Mumbai Police, the level-one fire broke out in the C-wing of the residential complex in Kurla in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to an official statement on the incident, several people were stranded on multiple floors of the high-rise building due to smoke from the combined pocket fires on the fourth and 10th floors.

The stranded residents were rescued and taken to the terrace and the assistant divisional fire officer (ADFO), three senior station officers, four fire engines, three jumbo tankers, one Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP), one Breathing Apparatus Van and an ambulance were mobilised to facilitate the firefighting operation.

"One of the injured persons, identified as Shakuntala Ramani (70), was brought dead at the hospital while eight others admitted are currently stable," the statement added.

A resident of the high-rise, Parshuram Devjikaran, told ANI that the incident occurred around 6.00-6.30 am after the electricity meter box on the ground floor caught fire which eventually spread over to the 12th floor of the building.

Mr Devjikaran said, "Our building lacks basic fire safety equipment. We were told to report our concerns to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) but they said the project was awarded to the SRA. On approaching the SRA, we were asked to contact Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) as they were involved in the project. When we approached the MMRDA, we were told that the necessary equipment will be provided by the authorities who allotted us the land. We are confused whom to approach."

He added that many of the stranded people somehow managed to move to the terrace, which eventually helped them survive the incident.

"The fire spread to the passage and the people could not step out because of the smoke. The mother of Ramane, who lives on the 12th floor, lost her life in the incident," Mr Devjikaran said.

Meanwhile, other residents also claimed that the building lacked basic facilities.

"There is a fire alarm which did not ring and fire extinguishers that did not sprinkle water. There was no way we could have controlled the fire. We called the fire brigade but before they could reach the spot, the fire had already spread to the 12th floor," another stranded resident said.

Further details are awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)