Mumbai: 64-Year-Old Dies In Bandra High-Rise Fire Likely Triggered By AC Short Circuit Amid Rising Summer Load

Mumbai: On Wednesday night, a 64-year old resident lost his life after a fire broke in an the seventh floor apartment of an high-rise 'Atlantic building' in Bandra West. The fire was confined to electrical appliances and electrical installations in the house, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) said. Although the exact cause is yet to ascertained, prima facie an electric short circuit caused the fire. 

Although fires due to short circuits are not new, the MFB officials said they have observed that maximum of the fire incidents in Mumbai in the last three months have been either due to short circuit in AC units or other electrical installations, which fail due to overload. The officials attributed this to unbalanced power load due to surge in summer, particularly the overuse of ACs.

I'm some recent incidents, on June 11, eight residents, including three senior citizens were injured in a fire that broke out in a a residential high-rise in Andheri West due to short circuit in the air conditioning (AC) unit. On May 28, the AC unit in an apartment in an apartment near Colaba causeway was on fire.  

"This summer the heat was extreme. We had issued an advisory two months ago, urging citizens to carry regular servicing of all electrical appliances, especially the ACs to avoid overload. The chances of fires in hot weather are high. ACs should be run on 24-25°C temperature or on auto mode to avoid power load. However, several times the guidelines are not followed. ACs are run on minimum temperatures, alongwith other electrical appliances, which can lead to unbalanced electrical load," said a senior MFB officer. 

An official from a power company who did not wished to be named, said, "Power distribution networks are engineered to carry a specific load, with buffers built in to accommodate growth. However, every system has a physical limit. When demand exceeds the sanctioned capacity, the grid becomes overburdened, leading to localized failures such as cable faults and blown fuses during peak summer months."

Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer of MFB said, "It is true many fires in last two-three months were caused due to short circuit in AC units. We urge citizens to take advisory issued by MFB seriously to avoid fires during hot weather."

Mumbai creates history this year, by witnessing three heatwaves in March - the first month of summer. Apart from the maximum temperature, the minimum temperature was also recorded breaking high. Mumbai recorded minimum temperature of 30.2°C last week, which was highest minimum temperature of the last 57 years. 

The delay in arrival of monsoon has resulted in increased heat and humidity, alongwith uninterrupted use of ACs and coolers, creating additional load of the power networks. 

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/