02 July,2016 07:09 PM IST | | Tanvi Deshpande
Shaken by Thursday's fire, residents and shopkeepers in the neighbourhood fear disaster might strike again as most local buildings are fire traps, but Moazzam Khan still wants to live there
Mohammad Gunjar Alam, manager of the Gulmohar restaurant points to the electrical fixtures there as he discusses precautions local shopkeepers are taking after Thursday's fire. Pics/Prabhanjan Dhanu
It was the very house they had lived in for 40 years that killed nine members of the Khan family in the tragic fire on Thursday, but Moazzam Khan still wants to live there. On the other hand, the rest of the neighbourhood at Juhu Galli is shaken to the core and can't help fearing that disaster might strike again.
Mohammad Gunjar Alam, manager of the Gulmohar restaurant points to the electrical fixtures there as he discusses precautions local shopkeepers are taking after Thursday's fire. Pics/Prabhanjan Dhanu
Fire traps all around
Most of the buildings in this Andheri neighbourhood are perfect firetraps, just like the Khan residence. Thursday's fire has scared residents and shopkeepers into looking for solutions to prevent a similar catastrophe.
Although the legal height limit for construction is 14 feet here, most buildings at Juhu Galli are ground+2 structures, with either shops or restaurants on the ground floor and the family quarters upstairs. All these buildings have just one entrance - through the shop front. Staircases in the shops lead up to the floors above.
The Khan family's home and their medical store on the ground floor was gutted in Thursday's blaze
In case of a fire at night, when the shop shutters are down, residents have no way out. This is exactly what had happened at the Khan residence. Only three members of the family survived that blaze by jumping out the first-floor window. Eyewitnesses said the rest of the family could still have been saved if there was a staircase outside the building.
Fire chief says
"These are all firetraps. In 80% of houses in the slums, access is a big problem. Plus, the houses are stocked with packaging material, electrical appliances, wooden furniture that fuel the fire. In commercial structures like pharmacies, deodorants are the biggest culprits," said Chief Fire Officer (CFO) PS Rahangdale.
mid-day's reportage on the tragic blaze
At the Khan residence, the fire is thought to have started due to a short circuit in the pharmacy downstairs. It turned into an inferno after medicine and deodorant bottles exploded. Several buildings also house restaurants that not only stack up LPG cylinders without licences, but also have shoddy electric wiring.
Add to this the open charcoal grills and frying woks used for cooking, and it's a recipe for disaster. Mohammed Harish, the manager of one such restaurant, claimed to have all the necessary licences. Asked about fire precautions, he said the restaurant is perfectly safe.
