Four fires in Mumbai and Thane during Diwali; three injured in Ghatkopar high-rise blaze

Four separate fires broke out in Mumbai and Thane between Friday night and Saturday morning, amid the Diwali celebrations. The incidents, within a few hours of each other, kept emergency services in both cities continuously busy. Three people were injured in a fire in a high-rise in Ghatkopar. A scrap shop was gutted in Mankhurd. In Thane, a police vehicle and two auto-rickshaws caught fire.

The most serious incident took place around 8 pm on Friday at a building called Royal Alteza in Pantnagar, Ghatkopar East. It is a ground-plus-25-storey residential building, and the fire broke out on the 23rd floor. It was declared a Level 2 fire at 8.52 pm. At least eight fire engines were deployed and the entire building was evacuated.

Three residents of the building were injured. Sainath Awale, 45, suffered 27 per cent burns. Nirav Lodaya, 34, and Rajesh Lodaya, 47, were admitted to Zynova Hospital with complaints of breathing difficulty. All three are reported to be stable.

A firecracker rocket is suspected to be the cause of the Ghatkopar fire. Officials have also pointed to a possible short circuit. Deputy Fire Chief S D Sawant said, "We will have to rule out other aspects as well. The firecracker does seem to be the main cause, but it cannot be the only reason for such a big fire."

The second incident took place around 3.30 am on Saturday near Yusuf Hotel in Mankhurd, where a scrap shop caught fire. No injuries have been reported.

In Thane, a parked Mahindra Scorpio police vehicle caught fire around midnight in Louiswadi, Wagle Estate. In a separate incident around 1.53 am, two auto-rickshaws were gutted near Life Line Hospital in Khopat, Thane West. No one was injured and no lives were lost in these incidents.