At least 6 dead, 23 injured in huge fire at Mumbai highrise

Gulf Today Report

A fire in a 20-storey building killed at least 6 people and injured 23 others on Saturday in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, officials said.

The fire was noticed at the top part of the 20-storied Kamla Building at around 7.30am.

The fire was caused by a short-circuit in an air conditioner in one of the apartments, Mayor Kishori Pednekar said.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) rushed with fire tenders as the flames quickly spread to the two upper floors sparking panic among the building residents.

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At least 13 injured persons were rescued by the MFB teams, of which four were critical and rushed to the BYL Nair Hospital nearby.

Residents said the fire started on the 15th floor and a big column of black smoke soon enveloped the building. More than 90 people escaped the building on their own or helped by neighbors, they said.

Nearly two dozen fire engines extinguished the blaze and controlled the smoke after a two-hour effort, media reports said. Firefighters rushed the injured to two nearby hospitals.

Pednekar said some of the injured needed oxygen support because they had inhaled the smoke.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

In August, a fire killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in Ahmedabad, a major city in Gujarat state. In December 2018, a late-night fire in a Mumbai restaurant killed 15 people.