Mumbai: Three firemen were injured while battling a fire which gutted three popular shopping complexes in South Mumbai early on Saturday, fire brigade said. The cause of the fire was not known.
According to a fire brigade official, the blaze started around 3.30 am in the Sara-Sahara Mall, barely a stone's throw away from Mumbai Police Commissionerate at Crawford Market.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals even as the blaze continued to throw up clouds of smoke and ash in South Mumbai area.
The fire quickly spread from Sara-Sahara Mall to the adjoining Manish Market and Mohta Market, both known for their electrical consumer goods.
The cause of the fire was not known. Besides the three injured fire-fighters, there were no reports of any casualties so far, the official said.
According to a civic official, more than 350 shops located inside the three shopping plazas were reduced to ashes. Scores of small shops located on the outskirts of the complexes, suffered losses running into crores of rupees.
Sara-Sahara Mall has been in the news for its reported ownership by don Dawood Ibrahim.
Municipal Commissioner Subodh Kumar told reporters that the fire would be brought "under control soon" and there were no immediate reports of any casualties.
The conflagration in Manish Market was on the verge of being controlled but operations were hampered due to the billowing smoke.
At least 34 fire tenders and 20 water tankers and two ambulances were rushed to the scene to control the blaze in the heart of the commercial area of South Mumbai.
IANS
First Published: Saturday, November 26, 2011, 09:03