Nine persons were killed including five children while another was seriously injured when a fire broke out at a medical store in a chawl in suburban Andheri on Thursday, police said. The eight casualties include, one man, two women, two boys and three girls. According to the statement by the Mumbai fire brigade, the youngest casualty of the blaze was only three-month-old.
The fire occurred early on Thursday morning at 'Wafa' medical store located on the first floor in Juhu Gully on Wireless Road in Andheri, Mumbai police spokesman Ashok Dudhe said. Eight people were killed in the fire and one was seriously injured, he said.he families of the victims were staying on the first floor and second floor of the premises, he said. According to the fire brigade statement, fire was confined to the electrical installation in the storage area of the medical store's ground floor. The statement further added that 17-18 people were living in the building and many died because the exit staircase was a narrow one with a trap door.
According to a fire brigade official, a cylinder kept in the medical store is suspected to have exploded, resulting in the fire. However, the exact cause of the blaze would be ascertained only after a proper inquiry, he said.
"Our fire brigade team received a call at 6.15 am and we rushed three fire tenders, one water tanker and two ambulances to the spot," the official said, adding that the blaze has been brought under control.
Further details are awaited.
