Mantralaya up in flames
22 Jun 2012 2:12 AM GMT
Two people died and 16 others were injured when a major fire broke out at the Mantralaya, the Maharashtra government secretariat, in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon, engulfing three floors of the seven-storey building, including the office of the chief minister.
The fire that erupted around 2.45 pm continued to rage for more than four hours after it was first noticed on the fourth floor near the office of the tribal welfare minister Babanrao Pachpute. Aided by the sea breeze, it soon spread over to the upper floors.
There was no immediate report of any casualty, but several people were suspected trapped on the upper floors and terrace, prompting authorities to press into service contingents of the elite commandos of Force One and city police’s Quick Response Teams. Two teams from the naval dockyard were also rushed in.
The fire soon spread to the sixth floor, where Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s office is located. The chief minister was inside the building. He escaped unhurt. His and the deputy chief minister’s offices have been heavily damaged.
The fourth floor houses the urban development department, which is in the eye of a storm due to its involvement in the Adarsh scam. Earlier, there were apprehensions that the vital documents relating to the scandal might have been lost in the fire. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation dismissed such speculations, saying that the files were safe in their possession. Meanwhile, the authorities claimed that all important files were safe. The forest minister Patang Rao said, ‘I am confident that all important files are safe and intact.’
Two helicopters of the Indian Navy were pressed into service to evacuate those trapped inside the building, but they returned, as nobody could be found on the terrace of the building in south Mumbai.
PUNE MALL BURNS TOO
A major fire broke out in a mall in Pune on Thursday where 15 trapped persons were rescued. There was no report of any casualty, the fire brigade and the police said. The blaze at the Koregaon Park Plaza started at around 5:30 pm. It was brought under control within two hours with the help of 10 fire engines, they said.
About 15 staff members of the mall, located in the eastern part of the city, were trapped on the third floor of the building. They were rescued unharmed and there were no reports of any casualty, the fire brigade added.
The fire that erupted around 2.45 pm continued to rage for more than four hours after it was first noticed on the fourth floor near the office of the tribal welfare minister Babanrao Pachpute. Aided by the sea breeze, it soon spread over to the upper floors.
There was no immediate report of any casualty, but several people were suspected trapped on the upper floors and terrace, prompting authorities to press into service contingents of the elite commandos of Force One and city police’s Quick Response Teams. Two teams from the naval dockyard were also rushed in.
The fire soon spread to the sixth floor, where Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s office is located. The chief minister was inside the building. He escaped unhurt. His and the deputy chief minister’s offices have been heavily damaged.
The fourth floor houses the urban development department, which is in the eye of a storm due to its involvement in the Adarsh scam. Earlier, there were apprehensions that the vital documents relating to the scandal might have been lost in the fire. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation dismissed such speculations, saying that the files were safe in their possession. Meanwhile, the authorities claimed that all important files were safe. The forest minister Patang Rao said, ‘I am confident that all important files are safe and intact.’
Two helicopters of the Indian Navy were pressed into service to evacuate those trapped inside the building, but they returned, as nobody could be found on the terrace of the building in south Mumbai.
PUNE MALL BURNS TOO
A major fire broke out in a mall in Pune on Thursday where 15 trapped persons were rescued. There was no report of any casualty, the fire brigade and the police said. The blaze at the Koregaon Park Plaza started at around 5:30 pm. It was brought under control within two hours with the help of 10 fire engines, they said.
About 15 staff members of the mall, located in the eastern part of the city, were trapped on the third floor of the building. They were rescued unharmed and there were no reports of any casualty, the fire brigade added.
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