India, Oct. 21 -- For over five decades, Amarsons was where Breach Candy residents went looking for things they believed couldn't be found elsewhere. Selling everything from crockery and cutlery to clothes, linen and curios, the 52-year-old departmental store had built a reputation for itself and was the go-to store for generations of South Mumbai residents. On Monday, the neighbourhood and the city watched in disbelief as a fire reduced it to ashes.

Sources from the Mumbai Fire Brigade said the fire was suspected to have started following a short circuit near the door of the store at around 7 am. By 8 am, calls about smoke billowing out of the establishment began coming in. "When we opened the shutter, the place was filled with smoke," ...