Fire brought down a four storey building in Mumbai’s Kalba Devi

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, May 09:  A four-storey building collapsed in South Mumbai’s Kalba Devi area after a fire broke out there this afternoon. At least three to four people, including two firemen, have been injured.

The building, Gokul Nivas, was at least a hundred years old and a portion of it was undergoing repairs. It had some residential apartments on the fourth floor and housed cloth godowns and shops on the lower floors.

 

Two people being rescued from the building minutes before it collapsed. But the firemen say in all probability there was no one inside when the structure came down.

Five fire engines are trying to control the situation. Others are stuck in the lane packed with shocked onlookers and ambulances.

Two fire officers are seriously injured, news agency ANI quoted local legislator Raj Purohit as saying. But the residents, he said, were safe.

The building was undergoing renovation and of the two families residing there, "One was out for holidays and the second was safe," Mr Purohit said.

The blaze had started around 4 pm and fire engines had a tough time negotiating the narrow lanes of the commercial area. Locals say the first fire engine reached after 45 minutes.