Mumbai: A major fire broke out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office building in south Mumbai’s Ballard Estate area in the wee hours of Sunday. While there were no reports of casualties, several important files and documents are believed to have been gutted in the blaze.According to Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) officials, the fire was reported around 2.31 am at the five-storey Kaiser-I-Hind building, near the Grand Hotel on Currimbhoy Road, which houses the ED office. The fire was initially declared as Level-I but later upgraded to Level-II and then Level-III. According to officials, the fire started on the fourth floor of the building, where the ED office is located. Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer of Mumbai Fire Brigade said, “The fire was confined to wooden furniture, office materials in offices on the 4th floor, but it intensified due to the presence of files and furniture. Furniture stock kept in common passage and balcony also caused obstruction for firefighting. Firefighters had to break down doors and smash windows to gain entry into the structure.” As many as eight fire engines, six jumbo tankers, an aerial water tower tender, one breathing apparatus van, a rescue van, a quick response vehicle and an ambulance were deployed in the firefighting works. The fire was brought under control at 2.10 pm after nearly 12 hours of operations. “No one was injured in the incident. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained and a probe is on,” the MFB official said. A senior police official said a short circuit might have caused the fire and furniture, cupboards and electric installations were damaged. The ED staffers had visited the spot on Sunday and carried out a thorough inspection of the building, he added.
Source link
