Mumbai, Apr 27 (PTI) A huge fire broke out at the Enforcement Directorate’s office building in south Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday, though no one was hurt in the incident, officials said.
A Mumbai Fire Brigade official said the Level III (major) blaze at Kaiser-I-Hind building in Ballard Estate area was doused around 2:10pm after a sustained operation of 12 hours during which eight fire engines, six jetties, water tankers and other equipment were deployed.
The fire, which broke out on the fourth floor of the five-storey building housing the ED office, raged for hours and was brought under control around 12.15 pm, when it was covered from all the sides.
Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer of Mumbai Fire Brigade told PTI that the fire was confined to the fourth floor and mezzanine floor of the building, but the presence of files and furniture intensified it.
Mumbai Fire Bridge upgraded the fire to Level III (major) at around 4.17 am.
Explaining why it took long to douse the fire, Ambulgekar said that poor ventilation caused the smoke to get clogged inside the building, which in turn posed great difficulties to firefighters during entry.
Firefighters had to break down doors and smash windows to gain entry into the structure, Ambulgekar said.
“No one was injured in the incident. A probe is on to ascertain the cause of the fire,” the top MFB official added.
The MFB control room said cooling operations are underway. It is a process to ensure the blaze does not get reignited from embers etc.
A senior police official said a short circuit had caused the fire, and furniture, cupboards and electric installations were damaged.
He said police teams were at the spot and conducting panchnama (assessment as per legal norms) as part of the inquiry into the incident.
Another police official said ED staffers had visited the spot on Sunday and carried out a thorough inspection of the building.
No complaint has been registered by the ED, though Mumbai police has carried out a detailed panchnama and had taken records, he said.
This official said further action from the police’s side will be based on the MFB report, which is yet to come in.
Officials said several documents and equipment may have been gutted or damaged in the blaze. PTI KK DC SZM ARU BNM
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