Overview
- A fire began in the air‑conditioning unit at the Pawangad official bungalow opposite Mantralaya at 11:43 am on Wednesday and was declared a Level‑I call with crews bringing the blaze under control within roughly an hour.
- Mumbai Fire Brigade deputy officer Chandrasekhar Bhosale told reporters the cause was a default circuit in the AC unit after earlier uncertainty about the origin of the blaze.
- Damage was limited to the ground‑floor area across about 4,000 square feet and affected electric wiring, the split AC, kitchen items, office files, wooden furniture, a fridge and the false ceiling.
- No injuries were reported and the minister and his family were not at the bungalow; only the cook and house staff were present while MFB, police, BEST, ambulance teams and BMC ward staff responded and then handed the site to government authorities for procedures.
- The bungalow sits in a VIP cluster of older official residences near the state secretariat and the incident is likely to prompt formal inspection reports by the public works and civic agencies and checks of aging wiring in similar homes.