Mumbai: A fire broke out in the electric shaft of a residential highrise on Veera Desai Road in Andheri West on Thursday morning. Even as heavy smoke spread through multiple floors, all stranded residents were rescued safely by the firefighters. No one was injured in the incident, confirmed officials.The blaze at Sororento Tower, located near Country Club, was reported to the Mumbai Fire Brigade control room around 10.05am and was doused completely by 11.37am. The building is a stilt-plus-four-podium structure with residential floors from the 5th to the 22nd floor.
According to fire officials, the flames engulfed the wiring and installations within the electric shaft, spreading vertically from the 10th to the 21st floor. Burnt materials included routers, shoe racks, wooden furniture, and other items placed near electrical ducts on multiple floors. Due to heavy smoke, 30-40 residents who gathered in the refuge area on the 16th floor were safely evacuated through the staircase. In a separate rescue operation, two men and one woman were brought out safely from flat number 1503 on the 15th floor using breathing apparatus sets. Police personnel, civic ward staff, Adani Electricity officials, and 108 ambulance services were also deployed at the site as a precautionary measure.The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, though preliminary information points to an electrical short-circuit.A resident of the building said that a family living on the 12th floor was on vacation and panicked on hearing about the fire. “They reached out to us to rescue their cats in the house. But before we could take action, the fire personnel had already rescued them,” he said.“When we reached the spot, heavy smoke had spread through multiple floors due to the vertical electric shaft, which made visibility extremely poor,” a Mumbai Fire Brigade official said. “Our priority was to locate and evacuate residents who had moved to the refuge area and ensure no one was trapped inside their flats. Firefighters used breathing apparatus sets to carry out targeted rescues and systematic ventilation to clear the smoke. The fire was confined to electrical installations and nearby combustible materials, which helped prevent it from escalating. Due to coordinated action and timely response, all residents were rescued safely without any injuries.”
