Thane, Nov 26 (PTI) Some flats were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in a 17-storey residential building in Kalyan town of Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday evening, officials said.
No casualties were reported in the blaze that broke out on the 15th floor of the high-rise — Vertex Housing Society — located in Adharwadi of Kalyan west, they said.
“The fire broke out in a flat on the 15th floor around 6.30 pm. It quickly spread to neighbouring flats and on the 16th and 17th floors. The blaze was brought under control by the fire brigade around 9.30 pm after a strenuous firefighting operation that involved five fire engines from the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Thane and other neighbouring civic bodies,” an official said.
The fire was visible from a considerable distance and caused widespread panic among residents and onlookers in the area. The top three floors of the building suffered extensive damage and several flats were completely gutted, he said.
Strong winds worsened the situation, due to which the fire spread rapidly across the affected floors, the civic official added.
As the high-rise was located away from the core city area, the fire brigade personnel faced difficulties in reaching the spot. Secondly, the affected flats were located on the top floors and hence using high-pressure water jets also posed a challenge, he said.
“The fire brigade had to call in additional firefighting resources, including state-of-the-art vehicles from the Thane Municipal Corporation and Badlapur Municipality,” he said.
There are reports that gas cylinders in some of the flats exploded. However, officials could not confirm it.
Many residents of the affected flats rushed to safety using elevators and staircases, he said.
To monitor the situation, drones were deployed by the local municipality and police to check whether anybody was trapped in the building, he said.
Kalyan’s municipal commissioner Indurani Jakhar, who was present at the site to oversee the firefighting operation, said the administration would consider purchasing a 70-meter hydraulic vehicle for more effective firefighting in high-rises in future. PTI COR RSY NP
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