Goregaon fire: Had firemen reached sooner, lives could have been saved

Pic/Anurag Ahire

After a massive fire claimed the lives of seven residents of the Jay Bhavani building in Goregaon West - including three women and two children - early on Friday morning, eyewitnesses claimed that tragedy could have been averted had the fire brigade not taken 40 minutes to reach the scene.

Over 60 people were admitted to various hospitals after the fire broke out on Friday. While 47 are stable, five are critical, two were discharged and eight have been discharged against medical advice.

In Photos: Massive fire kills 7, injures 51 in Mumbai`s Goregaon

1 year agoPHOTO GALLERY

The deceased have been identified as Nand Bhojiya, 50; Vishnu Alle, 45; Susai Rajan, 31; Prerna Bhembare, 19; Tisha Chougule, 18; Diya Bimar, 12; and Rinkle, 3.
Vishal Rathod, a resident who escaped with a few injuries to his hands, said, "My wife, two children and I were sleeping inside the kitchen in our home on the first floor. My parents and brother were in the hall. I heard a scream and ran to the kitchen window. Smoke was coming inside. I opened the main door and fumes entered the house. I ran down with my wife and kids. My three-month-old son inhaled smoke. It was a do-or-die situation. I, along with my family, ran through flames and came outside.."

The remains of Jay Bhavani building in Goregaon West on Friday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Harikesh Gupta, who resided on the first floor of B wing along with his wife, two children, parents and brother, said, "As soon as we got to know about the fire, we somehow managed to escape. My entire house has been gutted."

Building layout

The A wing of the building, where the fire broke is an SRA building and is almost attached to the B wing, which faces a road. The A wing was constructed in 2007 and received an OC in 2014.

Kiran Tushamad, who lost her 12-year-old cousin Diya; (right) Vishal Rathod, who escaped with minor injuries

The B wing, which has sellable houses, was built around eight years ago. Around 50 two-wheelers and four to five four-wheelers were parked in the A wing parking lot.

No one exactly knows where the fire started. According to the preliminary investigation, a short circuit is responsible. Some, however, claimed that one of the vehicles parked at the ground level caught fire and it spread due to the presence of bundles of clothes. The flames reached the second floor of the building and even the first floor of the B wing was gutted.

Neighbours terrified

The incident has left the residents of neighbouring structures in a state of shock and fear.

Kiran Tushamad, who lives in an SRA building next to Jay Bhavani, said, "Around 2.30 am we heard screams. My father woke me up and said there was some chaos in the adjacent building where my uncle and his family live. When we rushed there, two of my male cousins had come out and we saw thick black smoke everywhere. The fire brigade and rescuers found my 12-year-old cousin Diya lying on the floor unconscious. She was declared dead. The entire family is in the ICU of RN Cooper hospital, including my uncle and his wife."

"The building has only one exit. The entire structure was covered in smoke and it was dark," she added.

Manish Chaturvedi who resides on the 23rd floor of the neighbouring Sunrise Tower, said, "I thought a fire had broken out in our building but after looking out of the window, I saw flames and smoke coming out of the adjacent one. I called the fire brigade at 3.06 am. We feared the flames would reach our building. After about 40 minutes, the fire brigade arrived. Had they come sooner, many lives would have been saved."

The Goregaon fire station is at Motilal Nagar, 1.5 km away.

Chaturvedi said, "Residents were screaming ‘bachao, bachao' for more than an hour. It was heart-wrenching. Many tried to help them but the flames were so high that common people couldn't do anything."

Good Samaritan

Sanjay Tushamad, a local social activist who helped mobilise help and rushed many victims to hospital in his own ambulance told mid-day, "As it took too long for the fire brigade to reach, some of us living nearby initiated the evacuation. Individuals inside the building were in a frantic rush to escape the darkness and smoke. Many had been asleep when the fire broke out, which resulted in their inability to exit promptly. We were able to assist numerous residents, but regrettably, a few lost consciousness, and the escalating smoke and flames prevented us from accessing the upper floors of the engulfed building."

Fire brigade's account

According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the fire was confined to ground-floor shops, scrap, parked vehicles, a meter cabin, plywood, a staircase and household articles and doors on the upper floors. The fire was extinguished at 7 am with the help of six hose lines and eight motor pumps. "Many residents were stranded on various floors and a terrace. More than 30 persons were rescued from various floors by firemen," said a fire official.

7am
Time on Fri when fire was put out

03
Age of youngest deceased

Deaths and injuries

At least 42 people were admitted to the trauma centre of these, six were brought dead, four are critical and five discharged. Three are admitted in Kasturba. Fifteen were admitted to Cooper hospital in Parle, of this one woman was declared dead, nine people are stable and four discharged. Eleven people have been admitted to three private hospitals.