Mumbai: A major fire broke out late Monday night at the Sky Pan Building in Oberoi Complex near Laxmi Industrial Estate in Andheri (West). The blaze was confined to electric wiring, installations and household articles in a flat on the 11th floor of a 13-storey building. The fire was reported by a citizen at 10:02 pm and the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) declared it a Level-II fire at 11:20 pm.

Visuals Show Massive Fire In High-Rise

Visuals surfaced on the internet show a massive blaze engulfing two particular rooms of the flat in the high-rise. Thick black smoke can be seen billowing from the scene as the fire continued to turn the household articles to ash. There are no reports stating the exact amount of damage caused by the major fire.

Multiple agencies, including BMC’s MFB, ward staff, police, the 108 ambulance service and Adani Electric distribution company, were mobilised to handle the emergency. Resources deployed included one ADFO, three Senior Station Officers, eight fire engines, two turntable ladders, two high-pressure pumps, eight jumbo tankers, one breathing apparatus van, an all-weather tactical truck, one water tanker and a quick-response vehicle.

Details On The Casualties

The fire was successfully extinguished by 1:49 am, as confirmed in a later update. However, the incident resulted in two casualties. According to information from Kokilaben Hospital, Raunak Mishra, a 38-year-old, suffered from severe suffocation and is currently under medical observation. Tragically, 75-year-old Rahul Mishra was brought to the hospital and declared dead on arrival due to asphyxiation.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities are working to ensure safety protocols are reinforced in residential high-rises, particularly concerning electrical installations and emergency preparedness. Further updates are awaited.

Chennai, Jan 3: A tanker lorry carrying 20 metric tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) overturned on the Avinashi flyover in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore during the early hours of Friday.

The tanker was transporting LPG from the Kochi Bharat Petroleum Plant to a storage facility in Coimbatore when the accident occurred. The driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries.

The overturning caused a gas leak, which has since been brought under control after several hours of operations.

Officials stated that the leak posed a significant risk to residents in the immediate vicinity. As a precaution, five schools in the neighbourhood were closed to ensure the safety of children, and residents within a one-kilometre radius of the accident site were evacuated.

The Avinashi flyover remains closed, and vehicles were rerouted to alternative routes.

Specialised equipment brought from Tiruchy was being used to safely remove the overturned tanker.

Officials noted that the absence of overhead power lines on the flyover helped prevent a major disaster.

The incident has drawn comparisons to the December 20 accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, where an LPG tanker caught fire after overturning. The resulting blast killed four on the spot and injured 80 people, many of whom were critically hurt with some succumbing to their injuries. The death toll rose to 19.

The fire also destroyed 37 vehicles, including trailers, trucks, buses, and several smaller vehicles. Dense smoke caused eye irritation and breathing difficulties for locals, and some reported finding dead birds in the area.

Ten days before the Coimbatore incident, another accident involving an LPG truck occurred in the district. A truck loaded with LPG cylinders overturned at Kanuvai, though no casualties were reported.

Police later revealed that poor maintenance of the vehicle contributed to the accident. In Friday’s incident, authorities are continuing efforts to fully secure the area and clear the overturned tanker.

Jaipur, Jan 1: A major accident was averted on Tuesday in Jaipur when a gas leakage incident occurred at an oxygen plant on Vishwakarma Road in the city.

The incident happened in the evening when the valve of a tanker carrying 20 tonnes of oxygen gas broke, causing the gas to escape rapidly. The leaked oxygen spread over a 200-300 meter radius, significantly reducing visibility in the area.

Upon receiving the alert, teams from the Vishwakarma police station and the fire brigade promptly arrived at the scene. Station House Officer (SHO) Rajendra Sharma reported that the leakage was controlled by shutting off the plant’s main valve. Firefighters used water sprays to lower the gas concentration and stabilise the situation.

The gas leakage caused a sharp drop in visibility on the road, prompting police to manage traffic carefully and slow vehicle speeds to prevent accidents. Fortunately, no casualties were reported during the incident.

SHO Rajendra Sharma explained that the leak occurred due to the sudden breakage of the tanker’s valve. However, quick action by the police and fire brigade prevented a major accident. Despite the tense atmosphere among local residents during the incident, the administration’s swift response brought the situation under control.

In the aftermath, the police asked owners for regular equipment checks and adherence to safety protocols at the plant. Owners were also instructed to implement stringent measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The situation has now returned to normal, and no injuries or fatalities were reported, said officials.

It may be noted that 20 people died and over 20 sustained injuries when a container lorry and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tanker collided on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway on December 20, triggering an inferno due to which many people are still battling burns and injuries in hospitals.

As the accident had taken place in the wee hours, many of those caught in the inferno were bus passengers, some of whom were in deep sleep. Among the victims was a young woman travelling by a sleeper-coach bus. She opted for the road journey because a train reservation did not come through, and minutes before the accident called up her sister to inform her she was about to alight at her destination.

A young man who died had rushed to save his car parked on the roadside while he was taking a break at a nearby dhaba. He was on his way back home after shopping for his marriage in January. His two friends stayed away from the blaze and were saved. Retired IAS officer Karni Singh Rathore was among those burnt alive. Many others could be identified only by DNA testing.