Eight residents were injured, including three children in a blaze that erupted in a 16-storey building- Agrawal Residency, Shankar Lane in Kandivali West on Sunday morning. The incident was reported at 7.45 am and the fire was doused at 8.05 am. All the injured are from the same family.
Victims Suffered Suffocation; Three in ICU
All eight victims suffered suffocation and were taken to Tunga hospital, Malad West. Five victims, including the children were discharged after required treatment and three are admitted in Incentive Care Unit (ICU). Their condition is stable, the chief medical officer of the hospital informed.
"The incident took place in a second floor apartment - 205 and was confined to the electrical wirings, installations and wooden furniture in the drawing room. The stranded residents were evaluated by the fire fighters through staircase. The three injured admitted in ICU are identified as Chintan Abhay Kothari (45), Khyati Chintan Kothari (42) and Jyoti Abhay Kothari (66). Their condition is stable," officials from BMC disaster management said.
Short Circuit Suspected; Fire Confined to One Apartment
The preliminary cause of fire is suspected an electric shirt circuit, however, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) is investigating further.
Four Major High-Rise Fires in One Week
This is the fourth fire incident in a high-rise in Mumbai in a week, raising serious concerns. The FPJ had reported in its October 24 edition that although Mumbai sees rapid development in infrastructure and real estate, the ground reality remains that the metropolis’s fire safety and prevention is in a critical state. Many provisions under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 are not implemented and officers say that the ‘Prevention Cell’ of the MFB exists only on paper. The rising fire incidents are being attributed lack of inspections and fire safety measures by authorities as well as the citizens.
On Friday, October 24, a Level II fire erupted in a cl center located on the fifth floor of Four Dimensions building on Link Road, near Mindspace, Malad West. The fire was confined to all electrical installations in the area of 15,000 square feet and the firemen had to break the glass facade of the building to create ventilation.
In another major mishap on Thursday, October 23, twenty-seven people were rescued, of whom 17 suffered injuries after a massive fire erupted at JMS Business Centre, a commercial high-rise on SV Road, Jogeshwari West. The fire erupted from the electricity duct and building’s built-in firefighting system was not operational, which escalated challenges for firefighting. The MFB created ventilation by breaking the glass façade.
While on Wednesday, October 22, a fire broke out in a seven-storey building in Malad West, leaving one resident and a fire official injured. The blaze was brought under control after two hours of intense firefighting operations.
Fire Chief: “Only 10–20% of Buildings Submit Safety Certificates”
Speaking with the FPJ Chief fire officer of MFB Ravindra Ambulgekar had said, “Out of the total buildings in Mumbai, only 10 to 20% submit Form B (the six-monthly certificate on maintenance of fire prevention and safety measures). Licensing agencies have been appointed for the same. The buildings are also required by law to carry out an electrical audit every two years. Most fires are due to an electrical short circuit. Even if the societies/builders follow these two norms, 90% of the fire incidents will not occur.”
Last year, the Fire and Security Association of India said that in the thickly populated city of Mumbai, a staggering 70 to 80 percent of fire incidents are attributed to electrical short-circuits.
