Major fire erupts in Times Tower building in Mumbai's Lower Parel; firefighting underway for over 2 hours

The fire brigade has declared it a level 2 (major) fire and sent eight fire engines and other fire fighting vehicles to the spot, the official said.

Mumbai: The operation to douse the blaze at a commercial building in Mumbai has been going on for more than two hours after a fire erupted there on Friday morning, civic officials said.

There are no reports of any injury to anyone in the fire that broke out at the Times Tower building in the Kamala Mills compound of the Lower Parel area around 6.30 am, the officials said.

The authorities had initially said that the commercial building had seven floors. They later updated the information, calling it a 14-storey structure.

The level 2 (major) fire is confined to an electric duct between the 3rd and 7th floors on the rear side of the building with a glass facade, a civic official said.

Firefighters used “chisel and hammer” to break the locks on the doors and enter the commercial building to battle the fire, he said.

Eight fire engines and other firefighting vehicles were sent to the spot, an official had said earlier.

The Kamala Mills compound, which has witnessed many major fires, is located next to the Parkside residential building.

Parkside residents said it was a “terrifying experience” to see plumes of flame and smoke rising close to their homes.

According to the residents, their security staff tried to control the blaze with their building's firefighting equipment before firemen arrived at the scene.

“Our emergency team used our hose pipes before the fire brigade could reach the spot,” claimed one of the residents.