Fire erupts at Andheri timber mart in Amboli

Days after a fire gutted Oshiwara timber market, another incident of fire took place at the Andheri timber mart in Amboli on late Monday night.

Days after a fire gutted Oshiwara timber market, another incident of fire took place at the Andheri timber mart in Amboli on late Monday night. The fire flames were so large that it threatened to engulf the nearby railway line and the overhead wires on the Western Railway. Train services were put on hold till the fire could be brought under control.

The fire erupted on the timber market located on SV road at 11.45 pm. All the 16 shops in the market were gutted and the fire department could save only few bamboos and wood. Deputy chief fire officer, P D Karguppikar said that the fire was major and posed a big problem for firemen as all the materials at the spot were combustible.

“There was a lot of wood across the market and the flames kept getting stronger,” he said. “At a point it was too close to the railway line and even threatened to go near the over-head lines of the WR. However, the fire was controlled before that,” he added.

Story continues below this ad

WR officials said that while there was no damage to the over head wires, an empty local train which was standing near by suffered a minor damage.

“There were two empty local trains standing near the spot and the exterior paint of one local melted due to the heat, however it was just a minor incident. The trains were immediately moved,” said WR, PRO, Shyam Sunder Gupta.

He also said that the trains, running towards Borivli and Virar were diverted due to the fire and were late by a few minutes.

Around 12 fire engines, eight tankers and an ambulance were used to douse the fire. Two fire men were also injured in the operation. Their condition is stable now.