Mumbai, Aug 17 (PTI) A fire broke out in the basement of the seven-storey Income Tax Office building at Churchgate in south Mumbai on Monday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of several people from the staircase and the use of specialised ladders, officials said.
Nobody was injured in the incident.
“An inquiry is going on with the police, Income Tax officers and security staff regarding missing or injured persons,” the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a statement.
The building houses offices of various Income Tax departments, along with the CBI. The basement also houses a cooperative bank for Income Tax employees, which is currently celebrating its centenary.
The entire building, including the basement, was smoke-logged after the blaze erupted at around 2 pm.
Due to the central air-conditioning system, the smoke spread rapidly, officials said, adding that Fire Brigade personnel subsequently broke the window panes to release the smoke.
According to the fire brigade, 15 people were rescued from the first, second and third floors and safely brought to the ground floor via the staircase. Another five to six people were rescued from the first floor using an Angus ladder, while eight people who had taken shelter on the terrace were brought down with the help of a turntable ladder.
A BMC official said the Mumbai Fire Brigade declared the blaze a level-II fire, indicating a more serious incident, at around 2.45 pm. At least eight fire engines and several other firefighting vehicles were deployed at the spot.
An Income Tax employee, who did not wish to be named, said he was having lunch on the fifth floor when they heard chaos outside after the fire broke out. As the building quickly filled with smoke, they escaped through the rear of the building.
Citing information received from Income Tax officials, Assistant Police Commissioner Nilesh Bagul said around 1,800 employees work in the building.
He added that most of the people inside escaped unhurt. Mumbai Fire Brigade personnel rescued several others, including women, using ladders from the first floor and terrace.
According to fire brigade personnel, the building has a central air-conditioning system, and all the windows were therefore shut. This caused smoke to spread rapidly throughout the building.
The basement, which contains strong rooms and stored material, was completely smoke-logged. Fire brigade personnel subsequently broke the window panes to release the smoke.
As per BMC officials, the fire was confined to electrical wiring and installations, records stored in cabins, scrap material, discarded records, paper stock, wooden partitions and other materials over an area of approximately 7,000 to 8,000 sq ft in the basement.
After almost five hours, the fire was extinguished at 7.08 pm in the basement of Aaykar Bhavan.
Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer of Mumbai Fire Brigade, told PTI that the fire was confined to the basement and it did not spread to other parts of the building.
He said that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighting operations were carried out using two high-pressure lines, three large hose lines and four small hose lines from eight fire engines.
Firefighters used smoke extractors and broke the window glass panes. PTI KK GK NSK
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