Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai
Mumbai, Apr 29: In yet another alarming incident, a massive fire broke out early Tuesday morning at a building housing an electronics goods showroom in Bandra West, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing across the area. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far.
According to officials, the blaze erupted around 4:10 am in the basement of Link Square Mall, home to the Croma electronics showroom, located on the bustling Linking Road. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) received an alert at 4:11 am and responded swiftly.
Initially classified as a Level I fire at 4:17 am, the situation escalated rapidly — reaching Level II by 4:28 am and being declared a Level III major fire by 4:49 am.
The fire was largely confined to the showroom’s basement area, but heavy smoke spread across the entire structure, which consists of three basement levels, a ground floor, and three upper floors, significantly affecting visibility for the firefighting teams.
A large-scale operation was mounted to contain the blaze, involving 12 fire engines, nine jumbo water tankers, two breathing apparatus vans, a rescue van, and a quick response vehicle. Senior fire officials — including a Divisional Fire Officer (DFO), two Assistant Divisional Fire Officers (ADFOs), three Senior Station Officers (Sr. SOs), and three Station Officers (SOs) — were present at the site. An emergency ambulance from the 108 service was also deployed as a precautionary measure.
Multiple agencies, including Mumbai Police, Adani Electricity, Public Works Department (PWD), and local ward staff, collaborated with the MFB in the firefighting and rescue operations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Notably, this is the second major early morning fire incident reported in Mumbai within two days. On Sunday, a fire had broken out at the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) office in the Kaiser-I-Hind building at Ballard Estate.
In that case too, the Mumbai Fire Brigade had responded promptly after being alerted around 2:31 am. The ED fire, initially considered Level-I, was upgraded to Level-II by 3:30 am, requiring deployment of eight fire engines, six jumbo tankers, an aerial water tower, and other emergency support vehicles.
Authorities are continuing their probe into both incidents even as efforts are being made to enhance fire safety measures across commercial complexes in the city.