Fire at Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation headquarters burns health department records

A fire broke out at the headquarters of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) in Maharashtra's Thane district on Monday morning. Panic spread among people in the building as the fire started. Officials said no one was injured.

According to a fire officer of the corporation, the fire started at the headquarters in the Bhayandar area at around 8 am. Fire brigade personnel reached the building within minutes of being alerted and immediately took charge.

The officer said the fire remained confined to the section where it started. Firefighters brought it under control in less than an hour.

Officials said records of the corporation's health department were burnt in the fire. How much damage was done to the department's papers and other items is not yet clear. Concern has been expressed over the loss of government records held in the corporation's administration. The fire department and corporation officials are expected to assess the damage.

The fire officer said a short circuit is suspected to have caused the fire. However, the actual cause has not been determined. An inquiry is under way into how the fire started and whether an electrical fault or some other reason was behind it. Officials are also examining the circumstances of the incident.

Officials said no one was injured or killed in the fire. The firefighters' quick work brought the fire under control before it could spread to other parts of the headquarters.

The incident took place in the morning, when offices were preparing for the day's work. Officials said the fire department's prompt action prevented the situation from worsening. Details of the damage to the building and the health department records are yet to emerge.