1 dead, 6 injured in major fire at Mumbai building

A 22-year-old man died and six others suffered from suffocation and other injuries after a massive fire broke out in a five-storey commercial building in south Mumbai's Grant Road area on Sunday morning, officials said.

Around eight to 10 people were also rescued from the building, they said.

The fire brigade got a call about the blaze in 'Aditya Arcade' building around 6 am.

The blaze engulfed the building's electric duct passing through its staircase, stalls and offices situated in the basement, ground and first floors, they said.

A person, identified as Uttam Kumar, was found unconscious in the common passage near the staircase and was rushed to the nearby civic-run Nair Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival, a fire brigade official said.

Kumar seemed to have got trapped in the common passage while trying to escape as the fire engulfed the electric duct from the basement to upper floors by then, he said.

"Besides, five persons, including a fireman, suffered from suffocation, while one fireman received injuries on his hand during the rescue operation," he said.

Of these six, three persons -- Dilip Choudhary, 40, Ashok Choudhary, 23, and Bharat Choudhary, 23 -- were rushed to the state-run J J Hospital after they complained of suffocation.

"Their condition is reported to be stable," he said.

"Fireman Sudhan Gore also suffered from suffocation and dehydration, while fireman Nandkumar Wayal received cut injuries on his left hand. They were sent to Nair Hospital for further treatment," chief fire officer P S Rahangdale said.

"The fire was first reported at 6.06 am. It was a level-4 fire. The flames have been brought under control and rescue operation is underway," he said.

Since the smoke and heat made the rescue operations difficult, the fire brigade used battery-operated tools bought recently from Israel to cut windows and grills to get inside, the official said.

Thermal imaging cameras were also being used to locate the flames, he said.

The firefighting operations involved 150 personnel, 16 engines, 70 breathing apparatus sets, 10 jumbo tankers, besides several types of ladders which helped in rescuing eight to 10 people from the building, another official said.