Major fire at mall in Mumbai's Bandra; firefighting continues after 14 hours

A major fire broke out in an electronics goods showroom in a mall in Mumbai's Bandra area in the early hours of Tuesday, and the firefighting operation is still under way after more than 14 hours, officials said.

There was no report of anybody getting injured, they said.

The fire erupted around 4.10 am in the Link Square Mall located on Linking Road in Bandra West area, the officials said.

It was initially confined to the electronics goods showroom on the basement of the multi-storey building, but the flames spread to the upper floors.

Thick black smoke billowing from the building was visible from afar.

Photographs and videos of the blaze surfaced on social media.

"Around 4.50 am, the fire brigade tagged it as a level III (major) fire, but escalated it to level IV by 6.25 am, indicating its severity that called for extensive firefighting operation," a civic spokesperson said.

"Following a request from the Mumbai fire brigade, a team of the National Disaster Response Force was mobilised and reached the spot at 7.50 am," he said.

While no injuries were reported at the site, the building adjacent to the mall was vacated as a precautionary measure, he said.

Chief of the Mumbai fire brigade Ravindra Ambulgekar and its other senior officials rushed to the spot and attempts were on to douse the flames, he said.

At least 13 fire engines and other vehicles are currently at the spot and efforts are under way to douse the flames, the official added.

Other agencies were also mobilised, he said, adding that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

"By 5.20 pm, the blaze was covered from all sides, but the firefighting operation is still on," the official said.

This is the second major early-morning blaze in the metropolis in two days. On Sunday, a major fire broke out in a building housing the Enforcement Directorate office in the Ballard Estate area.