Fire guts Nature's Basket store in Oshiwara, about 40 staff affected

A fire broke out at a Nature's Basket store in Oshiwara, Mumbai, late on Thursday night. By Friday afternoon, the smell of wet ash hung heavily outside the store. Longtime employees and regular customers were left shaken at the sight of the burnt store.

The store manager said they had closed the outlet around 11 pm as usual. When they returned two hours later, the store was engulfed in flames. "The assessment of the loss is yet to be done, but most of the goods have been burnt," the manager said.

About 40 people worked at the store. Employees who arrived for the 7 am shift on Friday were sent to the company's other stores. Whether they can return to their old place will depend on whether the store is repaired and reopens. A Nature's Basket employee said: "This was a big store and had about 40 people. The employees who came for the 7 am shift had to be sent to our other stores. If the store reopens after recovering from the loss and after repairs, they can return to their place. Until then, we have two more stores in the area where customers can go."

The fire was first spotted by the security guard on duty at Samarth Aishwarya building. According to an employee of the building management, the guard informed the fire brigade around 11.50 pm on Thursday. The employee said: "The fire must have started inside the store after it was closed. The fire brigade arrived 15 to 20 minutes after the guard called."

The police, 108 ambulance service, the concerned power distribution company and ward staff were involved in the response. According to the BMC's incident report, the fire was extinguished at 3.54 am. No injuries have been reported.

Assistant Divisional Fire Officer (ADFO) Rajendra Dhande said: "We received the call at 11.56 pm and a fire engine reached the spot within 13 minutes. A quick response vehicle was not sent because it was parked at Lodha and our more capable fire engines were nearby. The preliminary cause is a short circuit. The operation was complicated and lasted about four hours."

Rahul Yingole, 40, who has worked at the store for 15 years, said: "I have been working here for the past 15 years. This is my livelihood and today I am seeing it burnt. It has deeply wounded my heart. Our customers are also very sad."

Another employee said: "I came here four years ago. I cannot come to terms with what happened today. It is a big shock."