Diwali night fires hit Thane, Mumbai and Bhiwandi; Thane district bans rockets after high-rise blaze

Several fires broke out in Thane, Mumbai and Bhiwandi on Diwali night. The biggest was at Carlyle, a 17-storey building in the Raheja Garden complex in Wagle Estate, Thane. The fire started on the eighth floor at around 8.30 pm on Sunday and soon reached the 14th floor.

Between 10 and 15 fire engines from Thane and Mumbai brought the blaze under control after six hours. The disaster management department brought out the people trapped in the building, along with their pets, averting a larger tragedy. No one died. Five more people were rescued by firefighters and admitted to a private hospital for primary treatment. Belongings in many homes were burnt and ruined.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the spot, assessed the situation and praised the work of the fire brigade. He directed that stricter rules be framed for Diwali firecrackers. Under this, Thane District Collector Shrikrishna Panchal banned rockets and firecrackers that are burst in the air across the district. Clear orders have been issued that other firecrackers may be burst only in open grounds.

In Mumbai's Dongri, a major fire broke out at around 10 pm in a garage near Haji Kasam Chawl on Dr Maheshwari Road. The fire brigade put it out a few hours later. Ten to 12 shops were reduced to ashes. Three nearby residential buildings were evacuated immediately and power was cut for a while. No one was injured.

In Chembur's Maitri Park area, a spark from fireworks set a tree on fire near the Kritika Annex building at night. Residents were frightened for a while, but the fire was brought under control in time. Near Vidyavihar railway station, fire spread to the top two floors of a commercial building called Skyline Vihar, and both floors were badly damaged. The fire brigade arrived promptly and put out the fire.

At Oberoi Sky Height, a building under construction on Lokhandwala Back Road in Andheri West, labourers living on the site ran in panic to save their lives when fire broke out. Oshiwara police and the labourers tried to douse the flames. There were no casualties and the exact cause of the fire is not yet clear.

In Kamatghar Ganeshnagar, Bhiwandi, a fire started in a bag shop from a lamp lit after Lakshmi Puja. All the bag stock in the shop was burnt. The fire brigade was informed late, by which time locals had brought the fire under control. The fire brigade later put it out completely.

In Kamatghar's Oswalwadi, a firecracker that fell on a factory making wooden bats set it on fire. All the machinery and wooden stock were burnt. A nearby warehouse held marquee and decoration material. The heat reached it too, but people quickly carried the goods out. A tree near the factory also burnt. A fire engine brought the blaze under control in an hour.

In Gauripada, Bhiwandi, a fire broke out first in a scrap warehouse next to a single-storey chawl and then spread to the homes on the first floor. Five rooms of the chawl were burnt. Three of these homes were empty, and locals got the families of the other two out as soon as the fire began, so there was no loss of life. The damage is considerable and the cause of the fire has not yet emerged. The fire brigade reached the spot and put out the fire.