India, Oct. 15 -- Two women died after a massive fire broke out in a 14-storey residential building in Nalasopara East late on Tuesday night. Around 25 residents were rescued, including a family of four who had climbed onto a ledge between the 12th and 13th floors to escape the flames and smoke, officials said.

The fire broke out around 11.30 pm on Tuesday in the B wing of Imperial Heritage on the Nalasopara-Vasai Link Road, and took nearly six hours to extinguish, officials said. Residents alleged that the building's firefighting system was not operational despite repeated complaints to the developer.

The deceased were identified as Falguni Shah, 55, and Ashwini Parkar, 58, both residents of the 13th floor. Preliminary findings suggest...