At least eight persons were today charred to death and three others seriously injured in a fire in a timbre mart in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi here, police and fire officials said.
The inferno began around 2.30 am when a fire broke out in a wood godown of Madvi compound in Rahnal and spread to at least three other adjacent godowns including that of a scrap dealer, killing eight persons, Senior Police Inspector Anil Akade of the Narpoli Police Station in Bhiwandi said.
Soon after, at least a dozen fire engines were rushed to the scene. Firemen are still fighting the blaze, Chief Fire Officer of Bhiwandi Fire Station, Nitin Chavan said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and investigations are under way, he said.
The deceased, who were extricated from the rubble of the fire—ravaged godowns have been identified as Kalia Gomti Raidat, 20, Raju Patetri Chavan 35, Munnibai Shyamdeo Yadav, 26, Marai, 30, Ajay 38, Gouri Chavan, 28, Niraj 21 and an unknown person.
The injured have been admitted to a local hospital and one them has been shifted to Sion hospital. Further details are awaited.