Major fire at cloth godown in Bhiwandi; no casualty

A major fire broke out at a cloth godown in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, on Tuesday afternoon, but no casualties or injuries were reported despite the rapid spread of flames.

A major fire erupted at a cloth godown in Bhiwandi taluka of Maharashtra's Thane district on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, they said.

The blaze broke out around 4 pm at a commercial godown located in the Parasnath Compound of the Valpada area, a major warehousing hub, the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) fire control room said.

After being alerted, three fire engines from the BNCMC and one additional water tanker-cum-tender from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) were rushed to douse the flames.

Fire department officials said that as the godown was tightly packed with highly inflammable cloth materials, the flames spread rapidly across the structure, emitting thick plumes of black smoke. The massive stock of textiles made it difficult for the firemen to extinguish the fire and carry out cooling operations, an official added.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, he said.

The firefighting operation was underway late into the evening, with emergency personnel attempting to prevent the blaze from spreading to adjacent warehouses in the congested area, the said.