Fire at Bandra Station: Narrow access roads, complete chaos slows fire fighters

BMC's demolition drive goes awry after cylinder explosion spreads blaze through hutments outside station; locals blame civic officials, but firemen say short circuit may be responsible

A demolition drive in the early afternoon yesterday at Bandra East's Garib Nagar slums exploded, quite literally, with a massive fire starting in the area and raging on till late in the evening. Locals have alleged that BMC officials, during the drive, didn't pay attention to the gas cylinders inside hutments, leading to one exploding and causing the blaze.

The fire rages at Garib Nagar slums. Pic/Rane Ashish

Fire officers said the blaze that injured three - firemen Arvind Ghadge and Ajay Ram More and resident Rizvan Sayyad - is suspected to have begun due to a short circuit. A gas cylinder was caught in the initial flames, leading to its explosion and causing the fire to spread, they added. The exact cause will be ascertained later. The railway booking office was also gutted in the fire.

Choked entry
No casualties were reported as slum dwellers were already out on the road because of the demolition drive. They were seen grabbing spots in the area along the tracks with their belongings as firemen continued to fight the blaze.

Residents and locals teamed up with fire officials to put out the flames at Garib Nagar slums in Bandra East. Pics/Datta Kumbhar, Sayed Sameer Abedi

Sufficient number of fire engines and officers at the spot did little to help the situation, with firemen struggling to navigate and reach the source due to the narrow access. And every resident calling them to his/her own house added to the chaos.

"These structures have no pattern; there's no appropriate way to fight fire in a situation like this. We have been trying to put water from wherever possible. Everyone wanted their house to be doused first, and some residents even took the water pipes to other locations," said a fireman.

Another one said though the blaze had been brought under control, sparks were seen at other spots. "Most of these structures were clothes or tailor shops, and clothes catch fire faster than other objects. So, even if it's completely doused in one spot, it can recur in another," he added.

Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said, "Firefighting was difficult due to limited access to the spot. The numerous structures in the vicinity made it tougher... Two of our men suffered injuries." When asked about the late arrival of the fire engines, he added, "That was due to traffic. But our men have been working very tactfully."

Caught in the crossfire
The busy and bustling Bandra station came to a standstill. The firefighting started around 3.30 pm and was on till late evening, creating chaos and a panic situation during peak hours. The station that has only two foot overbridges (FOBs) saw half of one being shut as it was close to the incident spot. The skywalk, used by thousands of commuters during peak hours, too was kept closed to avoid crowding.

While commuters were directed to use another FOB from the platforms, it did take some time to get things in order. Railway authorities kept up a flow of announcements, asking commuters to avoid going to Bandra East.

A WR spokesperson said, "Some furniture and windows of the booking office at the south side FOB got damaged. No staffer or passenger was injured. Actual loss can be assessed only after fire brigade permits railway employees to enter the affected area. Harbour line services were suspended for sometime; they resumed at 4.50 pm.

From 48 to 24
Amid all this, Garib Nagar residents have alleged that the BMC didn't give them proper notice for evacuation. Apparently, as per the notice issued on October 25, residents were given 48 hours to vacate, but officials allegedly came within 24 hours to demolish. Complaining about the irregularity, Shams Khan, 22, said, "Residents were shocked... They had served the notice on Wednesday and told us we had 48 hours. What's the point of a notice then?"

"We didn't get sufficient time to remove our belongings. And among the things left behind in homes were gas cylinders," said Ashfaq Khan, who was heading a group of youngsters in the rescue work.

BMC officials, however, have refuted all allegations and said they had been issuing notices to the residents since September 2015, and all dwellers have copies of those.

03
Number of injured in the fire at Bandra's Garib Nagar slums

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