Fire at airport before Prez Ram Nath Kovind visit

A major fire broke in Mumbai's Domestic Airport Terminal 1A on Saturday afternoon. The site of the blaze was the conference room and VIP ceremonial lounge located next to Gate 9. Concerns rose as President Ram Nath Kovind was to use the gate after landing. "There was no obstruction in VIP movement," said Chief Fire Officer PS Rahangdale. "The the fire was under control by then."

The blaze sparked off at 1.45 pm in the conference hall on the ground floor and escalated to the waiting area. The entire ceiling of the room came down. The conference room was empty and no injuries were reported.

At 2.04 pm, Level II fire call was sent out and by 2.40 pm, an alarm was raised for Level III. The fire was doused at 3.18 pm; President Kovind passed through the gate at 3.30 pm. Nine fire engines were called in for the operation.

"We are investigating the cause of the fire; it is too early to comment on it," Rahangdale said.

The fire razed down the electrical wiring and installations, wooden furniture, partition, decorative installations and false ceiling of the 5,000 sqft hall and lounge.

A spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Ltd said, "The conference room is located at the tail end of Terminal 1A, which is not operational. No operations were affected."

Only officials with an 'Airport Entry Pass', apart from security personnel and cleaning staff, are allowed to enter from Gate 9.