Fire at truck terminal in Navi Mumbai; 8 vehicles damaged

Thane | A major fire broke out at a truck terminal in Navi Mumbai, causing a couple of blasts at the spot and destroying at least eight vehicles, some of which were loaded with consignments, officials said on Monday.

No person was reported to be injured in the incident which took place late Sunday night in Turbhe area of Navi Mumbai, they said.

"The blaze erupted at around 11.15 pm on Sunday at the Turbhe truck terminal. As soon as we received an alert, our local firefighting teams rushed to the scene," said fire officer U B Akre from Vashi fire station.

"There were a couple of explosions due to the presence of gas cylinders in the vicinity, which made the situation riskier," he said.

A total of eight fire engines -- six from Vashi and two from the MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) fire brigade - were deployed to combat the blaze, the official said.

"Our teams worked through the night to bring the situation under control. The fire was finally contained at around 4 am on Monday. Cooling operations are still underway," Akre said.

The firefighters managed to move nearly 40 trucks parked in the terminal to safer locations, he said.

The exact cause of the blaze was under investigation, Akre said, adding "the presence of plastic crates in the area appears to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.