Dousing fire: 2 firemen injured

Two fire fighters were injured while dousing a fire and handling the caving-off of part of the same building in the Fort area of south Mumbai on Saturday.

A major fire was reported at the vacant Kothari Mansion, a British-era building that also houses the Light of Asia restaurant.

The two injured firemen have been identified as Suhas Manik Mane and Sudhir Bhikaji Deolekar.

Both of them had sustained injuries on neck and legs and are undergoing treatment at the Nair Hospital.

While the fire-fighting operations were underway, part of the building caved in and fell on the two vehicles including an aerial ladder. These two firemen were working there to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings and go injured.

“It was a big fire. It could have spread to other buildings,” Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade pressed in 16 fire engines and 11 jumbo tankers on the spot.

Since the building was vacant for the last four to five years, there were no casualties except for the two injured firemen.

The building was dilapidated and was declared “dangerous” by authorities and evicted a few years ago.

The cause of the fire is not yet ascertained.