Over 800 shanties destroyed in fire in south Mumbai, 1 dead

A major fire ripped through a slum area at Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai this afternoon claiming one life and destroying 800 to 1,000 shanties, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officer said.

The body of the victim was charred to such extent that it was difficult to identify whether it was a man or a woman, an officer from BMC's disaster management cell said.

The fire broke out at Ambedkar Nagar at the Backbay Depot in Cuffe Parade in the afternoon and was completely doused by fire fighters at around 5.15 pm.

"800-1000 huts were gutted, out of the total 2,000," he said.

Sixteen fire engines, eight jumbo water tankers and ambulances were rushed to the spot.

"As the shanties had plastic covers all around, the fire spread fast. Also, the explosion of cylinders in the huts caused it to flare up," the officer said.

Another fire broke out in the city in a slum near Wadala RTO, where construction work was underway, at 10 this morning, destroying several huts of labourers.

The cause of the fire could not be ascertained in both the caeses.