Fire in Mumbai slums affects about 250 dwellings

Mumbai, Feb.28 (ANI): At least 250 dwelling in a slum were reduced to ash after the Darukhana slum area of Sewri of Mumbai came under fire. The incident left behind a lot of people as homeless.

The fire was first noticed around 6.30 in the morning. But soon it caused chaos all around, as residents were caught unaware early morning.

It is suspected that a lady's self-immolation attempt caused the inferno since her cottage happened to be the place which came under fire.

Thomas Joseph, a resident and a witness, blamed the scarcity of water and also the delayed arrival of the fire tenders that led to spread of the inferno.

"In order to control the fire, we climbed up. But then we could not control, as we don't have water here. We don't have water even to drink or to wash clothes so how could we have controlled the fire. Fire brigade reached late, after about 30 to 40 minutes, till then the fire had spread. Lack of water was the main reason why it couldn't be curbed within time by us," said Thomas Joseph, a resident of Darukhana slums, Sewri.

"We have lost everything cash, certificates of children, ration cards, voting cards everything, what should I do? I could not save anything, we just came out with our children," said Farzina, another resident of Darukhana slum, Sewri, Mumbai (ANI)