The fire was brought to light by two workers of Sukh Shanti society. The duo noticed smoke coming out of the closed tailor shop and immediately alerted the watchman about it
Firefighters suspect that the blaze broke out following a short-circuit. PIC/DWEEP BANE
The workers of a society in south Mumbai’s Peddar Road, along with the security guard, averted a major disaster.
At 6.10 am on Monday, a fire broke out in a famous tailor shop, Libas, located on the ground floor of the Sukh Shanti building. However, thanks to the quick response by the workers and the security guard of the society, the blaze was brought under control before it could spread beyond the shop.
The fire was brought to light by Vijay Mandal and Prakash Mandal, who work in Sukh Shanti society. The duo noticed smoke coming out of the closed tailor shop and immediately alerted the watchman about it.
Speaking to mid-day.com, Vijay Mandal said, “The watchman, Ghansham, then informed the society members, who called for the fire bridge. A team of fire brigade reached the spot in 10 minutes.”
Prakash Mandal shows the back entry of the shop, where he and Vijay Mandal attempted to enter with an extinguisher. PIC/SAMEER SURVE
Prakash Mandal told mid-day.com that in the meanwhile, he alerted all the residents of the society about the fire so that they could safely evacuate their homes.
Some pet dogs and cats were also rescued from the building. There are 85 flats in the three buildings of the society.
“We did try to open the back door of the shop, which is near the building staircase. However, there was too much heat. We had a fire extinguisher, but could not open the door. Later, the fire bridge team opened the main door of the shop and extinguished the fire,” said Prakash Mandal.
One of the society members said that there were no fire extinguishers available in the shop. The owner of shop, Riyaz Kanji, said, however, claimed that fire extinguishers were placed in the shop.
“Around Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore of clothes got burned in the fire,” he said, adding, “My manager called me in the morning. I stay at Andheri. The shop is 30 years old. I am also getting calls from the customers who are inquiring about their clothes. We need to start all over again.”
According to the report filed by the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the blaze was confined to the electric wiring, electric installation, wooden furniture, and garment stock in the 4,000 square feet area of the shop. By 8.54 am, the fire was extinguished. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained identify but firefighters suspect it triggered owing to a short circuit, said sources.
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