The fire tenders took close to three hours to contain the fire, while efforts to douse the flames continued till late evening.
A major fire broke out at a furniture market at Ghaswala Compound on Relief Road in Oshiwara on Friday afternoon, leading to serial cylinder blasts which stoked the fire further. The fire spread to about 450-500 furniture workshops and chemical shops in the vicinity. No casualty has been reported yet.
The fire tenders took close to three hours to contain the fire, while efforts to douse the flames continued till late evening.
Shopkeepers said the fire broke out between 12.30 pm and 12.40 pm at a shop where welding work on a CNG autorickshaw was underway. During the process, a cylinder exploded, triggering serial cylinder blasts. While locals allege that the damage could have been less if the fire brigade arrived earlier, Changez Multani, Corporator of the area, said the narrow stretch leading to the site posed difficulties for the fire tenders. The construction of a new bridge has led to traffic snarls in the area.
Meanwhile, 500 students of Oshiwara Labour Memorial Trust's KHMW College of Commerce, which is affiliated to Mumbai University, were evacuated once news of the fire broke out. A few students could not sit for their FYBcom Maths paper on Friday. About 132 students, whose exams were schedule between 3pm and 6pm, found it difficult to reach the exam centre. The University of Mumbai will reschedule their exams, and a new date and time for the exam will be set soon.
Officials of the Mumbai Collectorate (Suburban) reached the spot and conducted a survey till late evening. A senior official said the plot was declared a slum, and the shop owners of the shops gutted in the fire may be entitled for compensation. Officials said since the survey is still on, it would be premature to comment, said Vidya Thakur, Minister of State for Women and Child Development.
Workshops engaged in making furniture were stacked with wood, furnishings, upholstery, chemicals and adhesives, in addition to gas cylinders used for welding. Few furniture shop owners said overall damages could run into hundreds of crores. "Most of us take up work on contracts. Our ready stock has been reduced to ashes. It will take us time to get back on our feet," said a shopkeeper.
The Fire Department said that 16 fire engines and 12 water tankers, as well as ambulances, were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. "There was lot of smoke due to wood and other combustible material. The fire was spreading rapidly," said a senior fire official.
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