20 plastic units gutted in Dharavi fire

MUMBAI: Twelve persons were injured and property worth lakhs of rupees was gutted when a fire broke out in a plastic manufacturing unit at Banwari industrial compound in Dharavi on Friday morning.
Around 20 plastic units in the nearby congested Jalil compound were gutted, fire brigade officials said.
Fortunately, the chemical units in the same area were not affected.
The fire broke out around 11.45 a.m. and could be seen as far away as Kurla and Chembur.
Fire brigade officials believe a short circuit led to the fire.
Around 100 firemen rushed to the area with 14 fire tenders and nine tankers, but struggled for over three hours to douse the flames.
Their progress was hampered by illegal constructions and narrow lanes.
A fireman was hurt when a roof on which he had climbed gave way.
At one point, several factory owners snatched water hoses from the firemen and used them on their own units instead of the worst-affected ones.
By the time the firemen managed to get back their water cannons, three tankers had been emptied. “This is shocking. We have never encountered such a situation. We did not have enough men to overpower so many people,’’ said a fireman.
Deputy mayor Babubhai Bhawanji and local corporator Asha Kale visited the spot. Ms Kale criticised the fire brigade for not responding to the situation immediately. Meanwhile, around 10 a.m., hutments at Abhyudaya Nagar near the Western India Mill Compound in Kalachowkie caught fire, gutting 28 houses.