Fires across Thane, Mumbai and Bhiwandi on Lakshmi Puja night; Raheja Garden tower blaze lasts 6 hours

Several fires broke out in Thane, Mumbai and Bhiwandi on the night of Lakshmi Puja. Some were caused by sparks from firecrackers and others by diyas. Panic spread among residents. Thanks to the quick response of the fire brigade and the disaster management department, none of the incidents caused major loss of life.

The biggest incident was at the Raheja Garden complex in the Wagle Estate area of Thane. At about 8.30 pm on Sunday, a fire broke out suddenly on the 8th floor of Carlyle, a 17-storey building. Driven by wind, the fire spread to the 14th floor within moments. Residents began fleeing on seeing smoke and flames billowing from the building.

Between 10 and 15 fire brigade vehicles reached the spot. The fire was brought fully under control after about 6 hours of continuous effort. Firefighters rescued more than 50 residents, along with their pets. Between 20 and 25 people were moved to safety. Five people affected by smoke were given initial treatment at a hospital.

On learning of the incident, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached the spot at night and inspected it. Following his directions, Thane District Magistrate Shrikrishna Panchal imposed a complete ban on rockets and dangerous aerial firecrackers across Thane district. Strict orders were issued that all other firecrackers be burst only in open grounds.

In Mumbai, fires broke out at four places the same night. At about 10 pm, a fire started in a garage near Haji Qasim Chawl on Dr Maheshwari Road in Dongri. Ten to 12 shops were gutted. Three nearby buildings were evacuated immediately as a precaution.

In Chembur, a spark from a firecracker set a large tree on fire near the building Kritika Annex. The fire was put out in time, averting a major accident. In Vidyavihar, a fierce fire broke out on the top two floors of a commercial building called Skyline Vihar. No one was injured, but the financial loss is large.

In Andheri West, workers ran for their lives when a fire broke out at Oberoi Sky Height, a building under construction on Lokhandwala Back Road. Oshiwara police and workers brought the fire under control with the help of the building's fire-fighting system.

In Bhiwandi, fires broke out at three places because of firecrackers and diyas. In the Ganesh Nagar area, a diya lit after Lakshmi Puja set a shop on fire, and all the bags and goods in it were reduced to ash. A fierce fire, caused by a firecracker spark, hit a factory making wooden bats. All its machinery, its timber stock and a nearby tree were burnt.

In Gauripada, a fire in a scrap warehouse spread to a nearby chawl, and five first-floor rooms were gutted. Local residents got the families of two houses out safely in time, so no lives were lost.