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Three people were killed in a major fire that broke out in a slum cluster in the Thane district of Maharashtra. The fire triggered the explosion of multiple LPG cylinders, a civic official said on Saturday.

Chief Fire Officer of Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) Prakash Borade, while briefing about the incident, said, “The blaze erupted at around 8.30 PM on Friday in the Navghar area of Mira Bhayander at Indralok slum colony,” as cited by news agency PTI. 

He further added that flames were visible from a long distance as the fire quickly spread through the densely packed cluster of temporary huts made of thatch and cloth.

More than 30 residential huts gutted in fire 

Around 30 to 35 huts were gutted in the incident, reported PTI. Several gas cylinders exploded during the blaze, which made the situation a lot more concerning. While the fire personnel managed to remove as many as 24 cylinders from the site, some of them filled and others empty, the situation did look concerning. 

Borade further added that firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control, as per PTI. 

The three deceased were charred beyond recognition, and their bodies have been sent to a government hospital for postmortem, a fire official further added.

One dead after portion of structure collapses in Bhandup

In a different scenario, during the early hours of Saturday, a 75-year-old man was killed in Mumbai after a portion of a residential structure collapsed in Bhandup (West) on Saturday morning, officials said.

As per the officials, the incident was reported at around 9:45 am from Tulshipada, Patkar Compound, where part of the slab on the first floor of a ground-plus-one (G+1) structure gave way. 

As soon as the authorities were alerted about the incident, they immediately reached the spot. According to initial information, the collapse led to serious injuries to one person. He was rushed to Navkar Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead at 9:52 am.

The deceased has been identified as Susai Devdas Kaunder, a 75-year-old resident of Bhandup (West).

Furthermore, authorities are assessing the condition of the structure and surrounding buildings to prevent further mishaps. 

While the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, officials suspect structural weakness may have played a role in the unfortunate incident. 

(With inputs from PTI)