Mumbai: A devastating fire razed 18 vehicles, including 16 automobiles and two two-wheelers, to ashes at a BMC-run parking facility in Dadar West early on Tuesday morning.
According to fire brigade officials, a level one fire broke out at the Kohinoor Parking facility, near the G North ward office of the BMC on Harishchandra Yewale Marg, behind Plaza cinema, Dadar (W). The fire ignited at 12:24 am and was finally brought under control after two hours. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Visuals of the fire gutted parking facility:
Poor maintenance
The fire brigade revealed that the blaze started in podium number, located in a building with 13 floors dedicated to podium parking. Floors 14 to 30 are residential. This parking facility, the first of its kind, was opened to the public in May last year. Despite its capacity to accommodate 1,100 vehicles, users had frequently complained about its poor maintenance.
Ravindra Ambulgekar, Chief Fire Brigade Officer, stated that preliminary investigations indicated an electrical short circuit as the cause of the fire. He ruled out foul play and mentioned that fire officers are currently reviewing CCTV footage.
The parking facility was established to alleviate the traffic congestion in Dadar (W), a predominantly commercial area. It marked the BMC's pioneering initiative in digital car parking systems.
