Summary:
Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI) At least six persons were killed and 23 others injured in a major fire that broke out on the 19th floor of a residential building in Tardeo area of central Mumbai on Saturday morning, officials said.The blaze erupted around 7 am at Sachinam Heights, a ground-plus-20-storey building located opposite Bhatia Hospital at Gowalia Tank when many of the residents were still asleep, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced on Twitter that ex-gratia assistance of Rs 2 lakh would be provided to the family members of each deceased from the Prime Minister"s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and the injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is also the guardian minister of Mumbai suburban district, visited the site and said the state government will provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of each deceased.The blaze appeared to have been caused by a short-circuit, he said.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condoled the deaths and urged party workers to provide assistance to the affected families.Some residents of the building alleged that three nearby private hospitals refused to admit injured persons without advance deposit payment and negative COVID-19 certificates.BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged that due to these hospitals turning away the victims, the death toll increased."The fire broke out on the 19th floor.
On being alerted, the fire brigade personnel and police rushed the spot.
Several persons were rescued.
Twenty-nine of them were taken to different hospitals as some had suffered injuries while others complained of health problems like suffocation," said a BMC official.Seven persons were taken to the BMC-run Nair Hospital and five of them died, while one more succumbed at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital, he said.Seventeen injured persons were admitted to Bhatia Hospital and 12 of them were in critical condition, he said.
Others were taken to Masina Hospital, Wockhardt Hospital and H N Reliance Hospital.As many as 13 fire engines and seven water jetties were rushed to the building when the first reports came, the BMC official said.The fire, categorized as level-3 (major), was extinguished by 12.20 pm, he said."There are at least six flats on each floor.
Soon after the fire broke out, several residents ran out.