Goregaon fire: ‘Cigarette, matchstick likely caused SRA building fire’

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The primary possibility of the fire in the Goregaon SRA building fire was due to a matchstick or lighted cigarette. There was no possibility of a short-circuit where the fire broke out.

After the fire in the Jay Bhavani SRA building on October 8, civic chief IS Chahal appointed an eight-member enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Sudhakar Shinde. This committee is yet to submit a report to Chahal.

Fire officials have found that the fire could have been caused by a lighted cigarette or matchstick falling on a bundle of clothes that had been placed in the parking area by residents. The fire spread rapidly after the clothes started burning. "We are working on more possibilities," said an official.

The civic chief had ordered that the committee should submit a suggestion to avoid such incidents. According to sources, the enquiry committee will suggest some major safety precautions for buildings that are 27 metres (seven-storey buildings) high. Also, the committee is supposed to suggest how to install iron ladders outside the building and making a mandatory fire protection system in the building up to the seventh floor.

After the incident, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a fire safety audit of the SRA building. Till Monday Mumbai Fire Brigade team visited 462 buildings which are above 27 metres and found fire safety lapses in 119 buildings. "We have issued notices to all the offending buildings," a fire brigade official said.