This Article is From May 10, 2015

2 Firemen Killed, 2 Injured as Burning 4-Storey Building Collapses in Mumbai's Kalba Devi

Mumbai: A four-storey building in South Mumbai's Kalba Devi area collapsed after a fire broke out there on Saturday. At least five people, including senior fire officials, have been injured, and two firemen have been killed in the collapse.

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.

An NDTV team witnessed 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 were trying to control the situation. Others were 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.

The cause of the fire is not yet certain.
 
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