Worli: Fire breaks out at Poonam Chambers, no injuries reported

Firefighters had to break glass to disperse the smoke. Pic/Atul Kamble

A fire broke out at a commercial building - Poonam Chambers - in Worli on Sunday morning, officials said. No injuries have been reported in the incident. Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) officials said that eight fire engines and six water jet vehicles were dispatched to the site. They said though the fire was not major, smoke stuck in the glass-facade building created a challenge, adding that it took them over four hours to extinguish the fire.

According to the civic disaster control report, the fire was reported at 11.39 am on Sunday on the second floor of the seven-storey commercial building, which is located opposite Atria Mall. The fire was extinguished by 3.54 pm. Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar told mid-day that the firefighters had to break glasses to discharge smoke from the building. He added that an investigation will be done into the cause of the fire as well as internal fire fighting systems inside the commercial building.

The fire was confined to the Rajshree Production Studio - an approximately 12,000 to 13,000 square foot area - on the second floor of the ground plus seven-storey building, said officials. "The fire was very small, but the smoke was dense as there was no chance to remove it from the building. There is a possibility that the fire was detected after smoke spread," said a fire official who was at the spot.

He added that due to the weekend, all offices were shut, so no one got injured in the incident. Another official speaking to mid-day said that prima facie it seems that the fire started from an air conditioner. "There is a possibility that fire started due to a short circuit," he said.