Vile Parle Building Fire: Iron Press Left On Clothes Suspected To Have Triggered Blaze That Killed Woman, Toddler

Mumbai: A fire that broke out in an 11-storey building in Vile Parle West on Tuesday night killed a 23-year-old woman and a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and left six others injured. A preliminary probe by fire officials has indicated that an iron press left on clothes for several minutes could have been one of the possible causes of the blaze.

The fire broke out at around 10 pm at Shanta Bhuvan Co-operative Housing Society on Baptista Road, near St Xavier’s School. The blaze started in flat No. 1102 on the top floor of the ground-plus-11-storey building.

According to fire officials investigating the incident on Wednesday, the fire was confined to electrical wiring and installations, an AC unit, household articles, a sofa, bed, false ceiling and the kitchen, covering an area of around 4,000 square feet.

One possible cause being examined is an electrical short circuit involving the AC unit located above the living room television. Fire officials are also looking into a verbal statement given by one of the family members, who reportedly said that the househelp had left an iron press on clothes while attending to the child in the bedroom.

The fire was declared Level-I at 10.08 pm by the Mumbai Fire Brigade and was escalated to Level-II at 10.16 pm. Firefighting operations continued for nearly three hours before the blaze was brought under control at around 1 am.

Toddler, Caretaker Die In Blaze

The two victims were identified as 23-year-old Anikta Chhetri, a househelp and caretaker of the child, and two-and-a-half-year-old Abir. According to the account of the incident, Chhetri had rushed towards the child after the fire spread through the residence. However, she eventually took refuge in a bathroom with Abir as the flames engulfed the flat. Both died due to suffocation.

The flat's owner, 64-year-old Hiren Batavia, was reportedly in the living room when the fire broke out. He managed to rescue his six-year-old granddaughter, Maira, from the flat. He later attempted to re-enter the residence to save Abir and others but was unable to do so as the fire had engulfed the room. He sustained minor burn injuries.

Family Members Recount Incident

Abir's uncle, 32-year-old Parth Batavia, was reportedly in the shower in another bedroom when the fire broke out. He did not initially realise what had happened and became aware of the blaze only after stepping out and experiencing intense heat. According to eyewitness accounts, Abir's parents were not inside the flat at the time of the incident as they had gone out for a post-dinner walk.

The building was reportedly developed by the child's grandfather. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be conclusively established, with fire officials continuing their investigation.

(with inputs from Dhairya Gajara)

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