A fire broke out in a posh residential building in Dadar area of Mumbai on Wednesday morning leaving four persons dead and 14 others injured.
The fire brigade control room got a message about the blaze on 12th floor of the 17-storey ‘Crystal Tower’ building, located near Hindmata Cinema in Parel area, at 8.32 am, said an official.
The smoke from the raging fire spread rapidly and residents were trapped on the building’s staircases, Mumbai Fire Brigade chief P S Rahangdale said.
With the flames quickly spreading to the 13th floor and adjacent flats, many of the 100-plus residents in the building got trapped.
Residents who were trapped on the top floor were evacuated using a crane.
Twelve fire engines, four water tankers, a snorkel and other advanced equipment, besides officials of the Mumbai Police and electrical mechanics, were pressed into service to control the stuation.
The firemen managed to rescue 20 stranded people.
Though the exact cause of the fire is being investigated, officials tentatively surmise it could be due to a short-circuit.
Two of the victims were identified as Shubhada Shelke, 62, Bablu Shaikh, 36. The identities of the two other persons were being ascertained at the time of writing this report.
Among the injured is one fireman Sandeep Manjre, besides nine men and six women, according to an official.
Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar rushed to the site to review the situation and said a probe would be launched to find if there were any safety violations in the building, adding that appropriate action would be initiated.
Local residents alleged that there was no fire-fighting equipment or escape routes on the building premises.
(With agency inputs)