6 dead, 30 injured in Nana Chowk building blaze

The fire broke out on the 19th floor and spread to the other floors via the duct. Residents heard the sound of sparks and then saw smoke, following which the evacuation started. Pic/Bipin Kokate

At least six people died and 30 others were injured after a fire broke out at a residential building in South Mumbai early on Saturday. The fire erupted when most of the residents were still asleep. While 16 people are being treated at nearby hospitals, five are in a critical condition. The fire broke out in an electrical duct of A wing of Kamla building in Tardeo on Saturday morning.

It started on the 19th floor and spread to the other floors. As per witnesses, the incident occurred between 6.45 and 7.15 am, causing panic among the residents, who began rushing down to the ground floor using the staircase. "I woke up to a lot of chaos. I immediately left my house along with family members," said resident Abhijeet Nirgude.

Given that the fire was rapidly spreading, the main power supply was turned off. "The bells of homes were also disabled, therefore, we didn't know how to inform others about the fire. We had to stop by on every floor and knock on the doors. People ran out in whatever state they were in," added Nirgude.

Twenty-one fire engines and seven jumbo tankers were deployed, said Zone 2 DCP Saurabh Tripathi. At 7.42 am, the fire brigade declared the blaze as level-3 (major). The fire was brought under control after five tense hours. However, within an hour of that, the fire flared up again. It was finally extinguished at noon. After this, the fire brigade undertook the cooling operation.

Twenty-nine people were rescued from the blaze and rushed to the hospital by ambulance in critical condition. Many residents helped others evict the building before the arrival of the fire brigade. While four victims have been identified as Mousmi Mistri, Hitesh Mistri, Manjuben Kantharia, and Purushottam Chopdekar, the remaining two are yet to be identified. Meanwhile, the municipal administration has appointed an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner (Zone 2) to probe the incident. The committee will look into the cause of the fire and the death of six citizens, and if there was any unauthorised change in the approved layout of the building. The report will need to be submitted within 15 days.