Fire breaks out at Pedder Road boutique, 8 rescued

MUMBAI: In the early hours of Monday, the Mumbai fire brigade received a distress call at 6.37am about smoke billowing from Riyaz Gangji Libas, a bridal designer brand showroom near Jaslok Hospital on Pedder Road. The showroom is on the ground floor of Sukh Shanti, a six-storey residential building.

A watchman sitting outside a nearby ATM was reportedly the first to see smoke surging out of the showroom. “He noticed the fire and alerted us; we then alerted all the residents of the building, who rushed down,” said Santosh Poddar, watchman of Sukh Shanti.

By 7.04am the fire had turned into a blaze, by which time the firemen arrived at the spot with their water tankers and engines mobilised from Byculla and CSMT. “Thick black smoke was billowing around the building, which led to panic,” said Lata Shah, who lives on the first floor. “Some of us rushed downstairs while others went to the terrace. I called the fire brigade after reaching downstairs.”

Eight people and five pets who were unable to find a way through the smoke were rescued by the fire brigade, whose firemen at 7.35am were still trying to douse the fire which had escalated further. “Four men and four women were rescued along with three dogs and two cats,” said a fire official. “Some pets were on the stairs while others were inside their houses. It was a small fire initially, but due to the combustible materials inside the showroom, it escalated. We are still investigating the cause.”

The blaze, which remained confined to the showroom, gutted garments, furniture, carpet, electric wiring, a wooden partition and all the combustible material in the 4,000-square-feet shop. “I will also personally appoint an agency to trace the cause of the fire,” said shop owner and designer Riyaz Gangji.

Gangji is worried about getting his business back on track amid the wedding season. “We have incurred a loss of ₹3 crore. It will take plenty of time to restore the shop and complete the orders to get our business back,” he said, pointing to the over-20-year-old showroom where half-burned and soaking apparel now hung on racks visible through the broken glass windows.

The firemen finally managed to douse the fire by 8.10am. No one was injured. As the day passed, the residents, still coping with the trauma of the fire that could have harmed them, raised concerns about the shop.

“Two residential flats were merged and turned into a boutique without obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the building management. Several electrical works are continuously being carried out inside the showroom,” said Tejas Dharia, chairman of the building, adding that the commercial space has been under litigation for a long time. The Bombay high court on January 21 had taken into consideration the illegal amalgamation of two flats and the several alterations made to the showroom. The matter is now in the Supreme Court.

The fire brigade deputed senior officials including a deputy fire officer, assistant deputy fire officer and nine station officers along with six fire engines, eight jumbo tankers and one turntable ladder, among other equipment, to douse the blaze. The fire officials also mobilised BEST buses, ambulances and police officials for smoother operations.