The first call came in around 3:17 am. By then, fire tenders were already at another warehouse nearby. Two fires. One area. One night. Bhiwandi’s Nimbavali had no warning for either.
Image Source: IANS
Two warehouses in the Nimbavali area of Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, caught fire in the early hours of Sunday. The incidents occurred at separate locations but within the same locality. No casualties have been reported in either case, and firefighting operations were underway at both sites.
The first fire broke out at a warehouse storing wooden and plastic pallets in Nimbavali village. The blaze completely engulfed the structure before firefighters could arrive.
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Warehouse owner Shoeb Dost Maniyar said the fire was reported to him by others at the site. He told reporters that the fire brigade was informed about an hour before help arrived, as fire tenders were already engaged at another major fire nearby.
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“The fire broke out about half an hour ago, as some people informed us. This is the business of manufacturing and storing wooden and plastic pallets. We have suffered losses of around Rs 15 to 20 lakh,” Maniyar said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined. Authorities have not released further details on the extent of structural damage beyond the owner’s account.
A second fire broke out at another warehouse in the Nimbavali area, this one located along the Mumbai-Nashik Highway in Bhiwandi. The warehouse stored both new and used tyres as well as wooden pallets.
Three fire tenders from the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade were dispatched to the location. Fireman Suresh confirmed the details of the response.
“This incident occurred in Nimbavali village. The warehouse stores both new and used tyres. We received the call at around 3:17 a.m., and three fire tenders are currently engaged in firefighting operations,” he said.
No injuries or fatalities were reported at this location either. The cause of this fire also remains undetermined. Officials said firefighting efforts were continuing and that further details were awaited.
One detail that stands out from the first incident is the delayed arrival of the fire brigade. The warehouse owner said the fire brigade was informed about an hour before fire tenders reached the spot. The reason, according to Maniyar, was that the available units were already deployed at the second major fire in the same area.
The simultaneous nature of both incidents placed pressure on Bhiwandi’s fire response capacity during the early morning hours.
Separately, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik earlier this week addressed concerns about rising forest fires in the Konkan region. He was responding to a question raised by MLA Prashant Thakur in the state legislature.
Naik attributed the forest fires largely to a lack of public awareness and misconceptions among local farmers. He said many farmers mistakenly believe that burning dry leaves and biomass helps prepare paddy fields and makes the soil more fertile.
“In reality, burning the land damages soil texture and destroys the natural compost-like environment,” Naik said.
He added that the forest department is launching a special campaign to correct these misconceptions and reduce fire incidents caused by agricultural burning practices.
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