A fire broke out at an imitation jewellery shop in Bhuleshwar, south Mumbai, early on Thursday and was extinguished at 11.08 am, prompting firefighting operations and a response from BEST officials in the densely built commercial locality.
Fire brigade personnel and officials from the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking reached the site after the blaze was reported. Fire engines remained stationed in the area while crews worked to bring the fire under control. The report did not provide details of injuries or deaths.
BEST is investigating whether a short circuit triggered the fire. The incident occurred in an area where residents have repeatedly raised concerns about ageing electrical infrastructure, frequent power outages, voltage fluctuations and network overloading.
According to a senior official from BEST’s power supply division, temporary connections provided after power cuts can increase the load on the network. “Temporary connections provided after power cuts often lead to line overloads, causing vintage wires to catch fire,” the official said.
The electrical network in the Bhuleshwar area includes cables dating back to the 1950s, while the locality has a high concentration of commercial consumers. Its narrow and congested streets also intensify the operational challenge for emergency services and utility teams, although the supplied report did not specify whether access constraints affected Thursday’s firefighting response.
BEST is planning a Rs 200-crore project to overhaul and replace the antiquated underground cables across Bhuleshwar. Officials have floated tenders for the comprehensive replacement programme, but the execution and complete rollout could take up to two years.
The proposed project places the fire within a wider infrastructure response: the immediate cause remains under investigation, while the electricity provider is preparing a long-term replacement of the network. The next steps are the completion of BEST’s inquiry into the suspected short circuit and progress on the tendered cable revamp project.
