A fire at a BMW service centre in Mumbai has damaged at least 45 cars

When a BMW service center-cum-godown in Turbhe MIDC, Navi Mumbai, was gutted in a fire in the early hours of Tuesday, at least 45 automobiles were incinerated, including numerous BMWs.

According to a senior MIDC fire officer, the fire started around 5.25 a.m. in the four-story building (ground plus three with a basement) and lasted more than seven hours before personnel were able to put it out. Around 1 p.m., the fire was put out. The incident resulted in no injuries. The exact amount of property that has been lost is still being determined.

A fire officer from MIDC said, "The security officials of the building spotted the fire on the first floor and informed us. Ten fire tenders from Vashi, Koparkhairane, Turbhe and MIDC were sent to douse the fire. Around 32 cars were totally damaged. A majority of them were BMWs. Other high-end cars numbering between 13 and 18 were also partially damaged."

The building's interior firefighting system was not on auto mode when the tragedy occurred, according to a fire officer, and its battery was also dead. The fire would not have been as large if it had been in auto mode with a running charge, he claims. Officials from BMW will perform an inspection to determine the extent of the damage. "The exact reason behind the accident has not been understood yet. An electric short circuit is suspected to have caused it. We are not sure how many of these cars were new or used. We are still assessing the damage," said a fire official.