Video: Massive fire breaks out in chawl at Madanpura in Byculla, 14 fire tenders on spot

A massive fire broke out in a chawl in Mumbai’s Madanpura area on Tuesday night.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place around 10:20 pm in a chawl located at Saklee street near Madanpura area of Byculla, South Mumbai.

Both fire department and local police were alerted immediately after the incident. By 10:50 pm, the call was escalated to Level III and by 11:15 the call was escalated to Level IV.

As of 11:40 pm, at least 14 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot and fire fighting is underway.

Although the incident took place close to the fire department’s headquarters in Byculla, it took time for the fire engines and water tankers to reach the spot due to the narrow lanes and large crowd.

Local police and ambulance have also arrived.

There is no update on casualties or the cause of fire.

Further details are awaited.

Update (12:10 am): Ten water tankers are currently on the spot and officials are still trying to curtail the fire. No casualties reported till now.

Update (12:25 am): AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan has arrived at the spot to take stock of the situation.

Update (12:45 am): One fire official, Ashok Bane, has been injured while firefighting and has been rushed to Nair Hospital for treatment. Locals are claiming that the fire was caused due to a short circuit, which subsequently led to a cylinder blast. However, there is no official confirmation from the fire department. Firefighting is still underway.

Update (1:30 am): The fire is believed to have originated in a garment workshop, and has been confined to nearby hutments and godowns. BEST has cut the power supply of the affected area per the fire department’s request. No casualties reported till now.

Update (7:30 am): Dozens of structures, including small manufacturing units, godowns and hutments were completely gutted in the fire, which was doused during the wee hours of Wednesday. An official from the fire department confirmed that three cylinder blasts occurred, but no one was injured.

Update (11:30 am): Fire brigade chief P S Rahangdale told PTI, “The fire affected 50 to 60 structures on the ground-floor, and three floors above it in the area having various footwear and bag manufacturing units, scrap godowns, shops and residential structures. A few temporary structures also collapsed due to the blaze.”

“The fire engulfed the electric wiring, some installations, household articles, LPG cylinders and other valuables. During the incident, three gas cylinders exploded. Besides, leakage was found in two LPG cylinders which were later handed over to a gas agency,” he said.

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Note: The report was added immediately after the incident. It will be updated as and when more information becomes available.