Mumbai: Fire Breaks Out In Huts Built For Construction Workers After Cylinder Explosion, 1 Hurt

Mumbai: A fire broke out in huts built for construction workers in the Khar area of Mumbai. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the fire broke out after a cylinder blast and a 25-year-old construction worker was injured in the incident.

According to police, a cooking gas cylinder exploded following a fire at a shanty in Santacruz west area here on Saturday morning. The incident took place at Ambewadi locality on Golibar Road. The injured worker was admitted to a hospital. According to officials, half a dozen huts were burned to ashes, reported PTI.

"A fire broke out in a shanty meant for workers at a construction site. Those present there started dousing flames, but a cylinder exploded suddenly," an official said, quoted PTI. He added that construction worker suffered injuries in the mishap.

"On being alerted, a water tanker and an ambulance were rushed to the spot. The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital," the official added.

On July 3, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the state legislative council that 13,000 incidents of fire occurred in Mumbai in the last three years, which claimed the lives of 65 persons.

He gave a written response to a query by Congress legislator Bhai Jagtap. "Till January this year, there have been 13,000 fire incidents in Mumbai in the last three years, which caused the death of 65 persons and injured 473. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has conducted fire safety audits of 1,270 buildings with the government finding deficiencies in 278 structures," Shinde said in his reply.

The BMC has submitted a report stating that the deficiencies in 278 buildings that were identified in the earlier survey have since been addressed. The CM also stressed that it was mandatory to have fire evacuation lifts in building exceeding a height of 70 metres.