Massive fire at GST Bhavan in Mazgaon area of Mumbai. (Photo: ANI)

GST Bhavan Mazgaon, Mumbai: A massive fire engulfed the GST Bhavan in Mazgaon area of Mumbai on Monday afternoon. Scores of people were trapped inside the burning building, but no casualties were reported.

The fire which broke out in GST Bhavan at Maharana Pratap chowk was declared a Level III fire by the fire department officials.

As per reports, over 3,000 staff members were inside the multi-storey building when the fire was first reported at about 12.30 pm. It took the firemen over three hours to douse the blaze at the government building. The fire first started at the ninth floor of the building and then spread to the tenth floor as well, fire officials said. The building was previously known as the Sales Tax Bhavan but was renamed as GST Bhavan in 2017.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told reporters that a probe will be launched to ascertain the cause of the fire. He said the fire spread rapidly due to presence of wooden material and papers inside the building. Pawar said no important documents were destroyed in the fire.

News agency PTI reported that some of the staffers who were rescued from the building blamed short circuit for the

fire, however, fire department officials said the exact cause will be known only after a proper probe.