A military canteen, adjacent to a railway station, was engulfed in fire in Mazgaon area of Mumbai on Saturday. However, no loss of life was reported.
The fire, which started late at night, was first noticed by the residents who later informed the police and fire officials. A lot of stock kept in the military godown was damaged in the fire.
Reportedly, fire crackers being burst in the area seemed to have caused the blaze. However, fire and police officials said the actual reasons could only be ascertained after thorough investigations.
Huge stocks of items of everyday need are kept in this canteen and are supplied to all parts of Maharashtra.
Around 15 fire brigades reached the spot after being alerted and it was only after four to five hours that the situation could be brought under control.
A resident, Ashok Gupta, said there was a fear of fire spreading further if the liquor kept in the godowns would have caught fire.
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"It was around 10:15 pm when we noticed some smoke and realised that a fire had broken out. When we went to the military canteen to check, the workers there told us they had informed the fire department and are on their way," said Gupta.
He also added that five godowns were burnt down.
"There have been no casualties. No one stays in the canteen at night, but there is a lot of stock here and also there are chances of the fire spreading further. Already five godowns have been burnt down. There are about 15 godowns here, where there are bags of stocks and the five godowns that you can see have liquor inside and there are good chances of liquor catching fire," added Gupta.
Central Railway's Harbour line through which trains pass through Dockyard Road station, which is close to Mazgaon, have been temporarily suspended.
Residents staying in nearby buildings came out on the streets and the power supply to these buildings was cut off to avoid any untoward incidents.