Fire erupts in Mumbai high-rise; none hurt, over 50 people rescued from upper floors

Mumbai, Feb 28 (PTI) More than 50 people stranded on the upper floors of a 57-storey residential building were rescued after a fire broke out in the high-rise in south Mumbai’s Byculla area on Friday morning, officials said.

There was no report of casualty in the blaze that erupted around 10.45 am on the 42nd floor in one of the twin buildings of Salette 27 on Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, an official from the fire brigade said.

Teams from the Fire Brigade, Mumbai civic utility BEST, police, 108 ambulance services, and other agencies were mobilised immediately, an official said, adding the cause of the blaze was yet to be ascertained.

After more than two-and-a-half hours of efforts, the Fire Brigade doused the blaze on the 42nd floor of the high-rise building around 1.10 pm, he informed.

They also rescued 50 to 60 people who were stranded on the upper floors of the high-rise with the help of the building’s security guards, said the official.

The blaze was confined to electric wires, furniture, and other materials in a 2,500-square-foot room on the affected floor. The building’s fire fighting system was operational and this helped in controlling the flames in time, he added.

Plumes of thick black smoke emanating from the partial glass facade of the building were visible from afar.