 On 14 April 1944 the freighter SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, gold and ammunition (including around 1,400 tons of explosives), caught fire and was destroyed in two giant blasts, scattering debris, sinking surrounding ships and setting fire to the surrounding area, killing around 800 people.The Bombay Fire Brigade tried to control the fire under control, at the cost of 66 lives.Preserved in the fire station at Byculla is a Leyland fire engine that took part in fighting the fire.