Major Blaze Ravages Enforcement Agency In Mumbai

MASSIVE BLAZE ENGULFS ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE OFFICE IN SOUTH MUMBAI

A devastating fire erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office located in the prestigious Ballard Estate area of South Mumbai.

The inferno, which began around 2:30 am on the fourth floor of the five-storey Kaiser-i-Hind building near Grand Hotel on Currimbhoy Road, quickly escalated in severity, prompting an extensive emergency response.

Initially classified as a Level-II incident at 3:30 am, fire brigade officials were forced to upgrade the blaze to Level-III by 4:17 am as flames continued to spread across the fourth floor of the building.

Fire and rescue services responded rapidly, deploying a substantial array of equipment including eight fire engines, six jumbo tankers, an aerial water tower tender, breathing apparatus, rescue vehicles, and ambulance services to combat the inferno.

"The cause of the fire is not clear yet," a spokesperson from the Mumbai Fire Department told reporters at the scene, where firefighting operations remain ongoing.

Authorities have confirmed that no casualties or injuries have been reported thus far, as the office was fortunately unoccupied at the time of the incident.

The ED office, which handles sensitive financial investigations, occupies a significant portion of the building that has now sustained considerable damage. Officials have yet to assess the extent of destruction to documents and evidence potentially housed within the affected areas.

Local residents reported seeing thick plumes of smoke billowing from the building, visible from several kilometres away across South Mumbai's skyline.