Blaze in Mumbai high-rise: 6 killed, several battle for life
Thirteen fire tenders and seven water tankers were deployed to douse the fire, which was first reported at 7.26am on Saturday.
A major fire in a 20-storey building in south Mumbai early on Saturday left six people dead and 24 injured, including eight who are in critical condition, even as the Mumbai fire brigade took five hours to douse the blaze that broke out on, and was contained to, the 19th floor of the building in crowded Tardeo locality.
Three of those dead — Hitesh Mistry, his sister, Moushmi and mother Meena Mistry — were residents of flat 1904, which is suspected to be the flat where the fire broke out. It was completely gutted in the blaze. Among the others who lost their life in the tragic incident included 75-year-old Manjuben Kantharia, who was a resident of the 19th floor, and Purushottam Chopdekar, a resident of the 16th floor. One of the deceased was yet to be identified as the body was charred beyond recognition. The civic body has conducted a DNA test to ascertain the identity of the person.
Thirteen fire tenders and seven water tankers were deployed to douse the fire, which was first reported at 7.26am on Saturday. The city’s chief fire officer Hemant Parab said that the building’s fire safety system, including its sprinkler system and fire alarms, was not functioning and the fire department is investigating the cause of the fire.
Municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Iqbal Singh Chahal on Saturday ordered an enquiry and directed the civic administration to submit its report within 15 days.
This is the fourth such incident of such a magnitude in a Mumbai high-rise in as many months, prompting the BMC to direct the chief electrical inspector to carry out an electrical audit of all high-rise buildings with a height of 15m and above.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced an ex gratia amount of ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to those injured. “Saddened by the building fire at Tardeo in Mumbai. Condolences to the bereaved families and prayers with the injured for the speedy recovery,” he tweeted.
Mumbai suburban guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray, who visited the tragedy site on Saturday afternoon, accompanied by the Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, announced an ex gratia amount of ₹5 lakh for the families of the deceased.
Most of the 400 residents in the building were able to rush out soon after the fire broke out, even as thick smoke filled the passageways. Firemen told Hindustan Times that none of the residents congregated at the refuge areas located on the 8th and 15th floors. The smoke was able to descend rapidly due to a duct that ran down the building and opened on to each floor. In many floors, the shaft door of the duct was not properly sealed.
At least 30 people rescued by the fire department were rushed to different hospitals. While 17 people were discharged after treatment, at least eight people are critically injured. The Kantharia family suspected that the unidentified deceased person could be their son, Kirit.
Kamlakar Dalvi (64) had woken up to fill water, which is released by the municipal body between 7am and 8am every day, when he first heard the screams. When he opened the door of his fourth floor flat, he saw the passageway filled with thick smoke emerging from the duct door. Waking up his family, he rushed out along with other neighbours towards the ground floor.
At 7.26am, the Mumbai Fire Brigade’s control room received a frantic call: a massive fire had broken out on the 19th floor of a high-rise in Tardeo, located in the cramped lanes of Nana Chowk in Mumbai Central area. By 7.42am, the blaze was declared a Level 3 fire and 13 fire engines as well as seven water tankers from 12 stations — the nearest three minutes away — rushed to the spot.
The firemen had to enter the building wearing breathing equipment in order to douse the fire. To start with, the fire blazed on the 19th floor of the 20-storey building. The skyline surrounding the building is a warren of wires and accessing the window of the flat where the fire blazed would have been difficult.
The building itself was located inside a lane whose width was only enough for one fire engine to enter at a time.
CFO Hemant Parab said the building’s firefighting system was defunct. “The fire-fighting system inside the building was defunct. The sprinklers were not working and the extinguishers were outdated as well,” he said.
