Mumbai:
Around 40 homes were burnt to the ground after a fire broke out in the Naya Nagar slum in Mumbai's Mahim area today. It took five fire engines and four water tankers to douse the fire that started at about 10:30 am.
"We received a call at about 11 am in the fire control room and reached here immediately. There were two cylinder blasts but there have been no casualties," said a fire department official.
Residents of the area rushed out of their homes with their gas cylinders, scared that cylinder explosions would further aggravate the fire. They were evacuated immediately.
"I have lost my home and all my belongings in the fire. I have nowhere to go now," cried one of the residents.
The fire was doused around 12:30 pm, two hours after it broke out. Police are now inquiring into the reason for the blaze.