At least three persons were killed and two others missing after a major fire broke out on Thursday at Mantralaya, the Maharashtra government secretariat. The fire completely gutted three floors of the 7-storey building, including the office of the chief minister. 16 persons were injured in the incident.
Pravin Pardeshi, principal secretary, rehabilitation and relief, confirmed that three bodies were recovered from outside DCM’s office on the sixth floor. Earlier, it was thought there were no casualties in the fire. However, the three bodies were recovered after the fire brigade personnel managed to reach the sixth floor later in the night.
“There were five people missing in all. Now that three bodies have been found, the fire brigade is still hunting for the two others who are missing ,” Mr Pardeshi said.
Three floors of Mantralaya’s main building were totally gutted in the fire, exposing how ill-equipped the state is for disaster management.
The fire that broke at around 2.40 pm continued to rage for more than four hours after it was first noticed.
Thousands of files from the offices of CM, DCM, tribal development minister, chief secretary as well as from urban development department, planning, protocol, home, disaster management, town planning, and all the department offices on the terrace at the seventh floor were engulfed in the fire.
According to some people present on the fourth floor of the building, the fire started at the server room opposite the office of the deputy secretary, UDD on the fourth floor and within minutes spread to the IT room near the cabin of Babanrao Pachpute, tribal development minister.
Pravin Pardeshi, principal secretary, rehabilitation and relief said, “21 fire engines and 11 tankers reached the Mantralaya in minutes. However, the fire went on to spread to other areas of the fourth floor and also to the fifth and sixth floor. The snorkels were taken to the fourth floor but as there was a suspicion that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit, the use of water was unfeasible.” By 4 pm, the fire had reached the fifth and sixth floor. In a few minutes, even seventh floor was also completely gutted.
Of the 16 injured, five were discharged after preliminary examination.