Ghatkopar fire: 'Electric meter box was not maintained, so fire broke out'

The fire began in the electric meter and spread fast

A month after the fire at Madhavkunj building in Ghatkopar East, the Pant Nagar police have registered an FIR on Monday against the society's committee members and the coaching centre - Kalrashukla - being run there. However, no arrests have been made. Three people died due to the fire and around six people were injured. The fire broke out in the electric meter box of the building and spread till the fifth storey.

Some of those seriously injured in the incident are still in hospital.

Patients from the nearby Parakh Hospital had to be evacuated due to the fire

Madhavkunj is located at Jawahar Road at Ghatkopar East. The fire began in its electric meter on the ground floor and spread to the entire building on December 17. Patients from the nearby Parakh hospital had to be evacuated due to the fire.

The Mankhurd and Vikhroli fire brigades rushed to the spot and the fire was doused after two hours. A Dombivli resident, Korshi Devchand Dedhia, had died on the spot. Two injured people, Anjali Biwalkar and Idish Vijay Shanti, died later.

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Senior Inspector Ravidutt Sawant of the Pant Nagar police station said, "We received the report from the fire department and found that Madhavkunj building had not maintained the meter box. Due to this the fire broke out. They had also kept wires in the open. The society was aware of the classes and students attending them, but still they didn't take any safety precautions to cover the open wires. We have registered the case against the committee members and the classes."

Fire officer Yogesh Pawar from Mankhurd said, "We have submitted the report to cops and they are investigating."

Society committee member, Sanjay Nawlekar, was unavailable for comment.

22
People evacuated from nearby Parakh Hospital

17 December
Day the fire had broken out in 2022