2 women dead as fire breaks out in 14-storey Imperial Heritage building in Nalasopara, over 25 rescued

NALASOPARA: Two women died after a major fire broke out at the 14-storey Imperial Heritage residential building in Achole, Nalasopara East, on Tuesday night.Fire brigade personnel and police rescued more than 25 residents trapped inside the building. The blaze was brought under control after nearly six hours. A short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, officials said.The fire broke out at around 11.30 pm on the ninth floor of the building's B wing. It soon intensified and spread to the upper floors, reaching the 14th floor and triggering panic among residents.Many rushed downstairs to save their lives, while several others were trapped inside as thick smoke and flames spread through the building.The deceased have been identified as Ashwini Parkar (55) and Falguni Shah (58), who lived on the 12th floor. Shah was reportedly unwell and bedridden, making it difficult for her to escape. Both women died of suffocation, police said.Fire engines from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation's fire brigade rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. Firefighters and police personnel launched a rescue operation to evacuate residents trapped on the upper floors."The lifts were not working due to the fire, and some doors had swollen due to the heat and become difficult to open. We had to break open doors to rescue people," said Achole police station senior inspector Sujit Kumar Pawar.The building has 154 flats. Arrangements have been made to accommodate around 110 residents in the hall of a nearby hotel, officials said.Police said the presence of a large amount of wooden furniture and decorative items inside flats may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.Mayor Ajiv Patil, MLA Sneha Dubey Pandit and municipal commissioner Prithviraj B P reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Additional fire engines from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation were also called in to assist with firefighting operations.The blaze was brought under control at around 5.30 am on Wednesday, nearly six hours after it broke out.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.