A terrible fire broke out yesterday at “Mantralaya” – Maharashtra Government Secretariat, gutting 3 floors of 7 storey Mantralaya containing the Chief Minister’s office and injuring minimum 11 people. The fire flare up around 2.45PM, continued to fury much more than four hours after it was 1st recognized on the 4th floor close to the Tribal Welfare Minister Babanrao Pachpute’s office, very soon it spread over the upper floors, boosted by the sea breeze. The 4th floor comprises the urban development department; people are saying that all the important documents of biggest corruption case the Adarsh scam might have been lost in this fire. Huge damage was also caused to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Ajit Pawar the deputy minister’s offices on 6th floor.

As per the Rehabilitation and Relief Secretary Pravin Pardeshi, on the sixth and fifth floors around 65 people were trapped, whom fire fighters have evacuated. As per the Pardeshi 5 people were harmed in the blaze of which 2 were admitted to intensive care unit in severe condition.

But, T P Lahane the dean JJ Hospital said that eleven injured were admitted there of whom one was very severe and others were out of risk. 2 helicopters of Indian Navy were pressed in service to evacuate those trapped inside building however returned without any success as no one can be found on building terrace in south Mumbai.

Anti-terror contingents – Quick Response and Force One Teams of Mumbai police aided the fire brigade in attempting the blaze below control. As per the fire bridge sources, when the flames in Secretariat’s part have been weakened, fire was remaining raging on building’s rear side. Pardeshi told, almost 3000 government workers and as number of visitors were vanished protection after the blaze began.

Patangrao Kadam the minister of Relief and Rehabitation admitted that government had not expected such a prime hire at seat of Maharashtra administration and included that the harm caused to the Mantralaya would be assessed soon.

Ajit Pawar the Deputy CM, and Prithviraj Chavan Chief Minister and R R Patil supervised saving efforts. According to Pardeshi, the fire was recognized in an electrical fuse and very soon a usual alarm was heard around Mantralaya asking people to rush out. By 3PM all people, barring the sixty-five treed because of “ballooning” of smoke, had exhausted, he told. Those hospitalized added Satish Lalit Public Relations officer in Deputy CM’s office Sanjay Deshmukh and Vishal Dhage and Kishore Gangurde Home Minister PRO. All them had inhaled the smoke. The electricity supply was stopped in building.

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