Six in ICU after fire in garbage duct of highrise near LTT railway station

Six people, including a family of four, landed in the intensive care unit of Chembur’s SRV Hospital on Saturday afternoon after a fire broke out in the garbage duct of a 12-storey building opposite Lokmanya Tilak Terminus railway station.

The blaze was reported in Rail View Housing Society, New Tilak Nagar, at 2.45 pm, according to Mumbai fire brigade. Around 33 residents were rescued by firemen from locations such as parapet walls, rooms, terrace, and staircase.

Dr Rupkatha Sen, chief intensivist at SRV Hospital, said five of the six patients in the ICU are serious, yet stable. “One patient is in a critical condition. We need to keep them under observation at least for the first 24 hours, as there is a chance of developing infection up to 72 hours of smoke inhalation.”

She also said the five have responded well to the therapy and have a stable blood oxygen level. One female patient, however, has not stabilised at all; her heart rate is still high; she is breathless and her blood oxygen levels are low. She seems to have sustained local injuries in the airway passage due to the toxins she inhaled, Dr Sen said.

Those in the ICU have been identified as Archana Malvankar, 34, Anjali Andhre, 26, Kailash Andhre, 54, Sachin Andhre, 50, Neena Andhre, 50, and Rutuja Pohak, 17.

Residents said they first heard a loud bang and saw smoke coming out of the garbage duct near the staircase on the ground floor. The smoke soon made its way to the terrace door and led to high temperatures on the top three floors. The smoke on the passage of floors made it difficult for people to take the stairs.

According to the locals who rescued the residents, there is a refuge area on the 8th floor of the building. However, residents forgot to use it, and instead, they climbed all the way down, inhaling more smoke.

The firefighting team was able to completely control the fire around 5 pm.

An official from the fire brigade said, “The fire was confined to electric wiring, garbage, and scrapped household materials in the open duct. The entire staircase right up to the terrace was filled with smoke and the heat density was much higher on the 11th and 12th floor. The heavy smoke created panic among the residents.”

Saina Shaikh, 56, who was heading out for market was stranded near the staircase due to heavy smoke and was rescued by taxi drivers and coolies from the station. “I came out of my home and saw the floor was filled with smoke. I ran to the window in the passage and screamed for help. I was feeling so suffocated that I wanted to jump down. A few people pulled me out through the window,” she said.

The basement+ground+12-storey building is a six years old and part of a project by the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority.