Mumbai:
A major fire that broke out at the 26-storey Mont Blanc building in South Mumbai's Kemps Corner area on Friday evening has left at least seven people dead. Four of the seven bodies are charred beyond recognition, fire officials say.
It took fire engines three hours to douse the blaze. Five people were rescued from the 12th floor where the fire started. The floor was completely gutted in the blaze.
(See Pics)Two fire officials and four firemen were injured while trying to rescue the people; they have been moved to a hospital.
"We were sitting in the garden at around 7 pm when the fire spread. Few people could come down and then the elevators stopped working. The cylinders that were in the passageway exploded and the fire spread. We called the fire fighters around 7:20 pm and the first fire engine arrived around 8:15 pm," said a woman who lives in the building.
(Tweets on fire)The senior fire department official said they were able to evacuate people living below the 12th floor; those living on the 14th and the 15th floors were shifted to the top floor.
When the blaze started in the evening, 14 fire engines were rushed to the spot but only one of them was equipped to reach the 12th floor. Four ambulances were also pressed into service.
"There was only one exit and smoke in the staircase prevented the people from coming down," said Viraj, whose mother is a resident of the building.