Delay in summoning fire brigade exacerbates fire in Byculla high-rise

Fire in Mumbai's Monte South building injures one. Delay in informing fire brigade led to escalation from level one to level two. Fire likely caused by short circuit.

Mumbai: A fire broke out on Saturday night in a tenth-floor flat of the 62-storey Monte South building in Byculla, leading to one injury. The fire, which started at 11:42pm in flat number 1002 of A wing at Khatau Mill compound, was initially attempted to be controlled by residents.

Mumbai, India – June 02, 2024: Fire is confined to 10th floor flat, entire floor smoke logged; persons are stranded on upper floors at monte South Building, Byculla, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, June 02, 2024. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Pandurang Shinde, 57, sustained injuries, including a disfigured nasal septum and bleeding over the bridge of his nose, but declined hospitalization, according to Dr. Sarika Pail from Nair Hospital.

The delay in notifying the fire brigade resulted in the fire escalating from level one at 11:42pm to level two by 3am. Deputy chief fire officer Sanjay Sawant said, “When the fire first broke out, residents tried to douse it on their own. We were informed late, and by then, the fire had spread in flat 1002. If they had informed us earlier, it wouldn’t have reached level two.”

The fire brigade arrived promptly once alerted and found the building completely smoke-logged. Firefighters rescued 25-30 people from the tenth and eleventh floors. They carried out the rescue operation and laid hose lines up to the tenth floor, utilising the building’s fixed firefighting hydrant riser system to contain the fire in one room.

“We had to ensure that water didn’t enter any electric duct to avert any untoward incident. The lady in the tenth-floor flat was inconsolable. Our priority was to douse the fire and rescue her safely. Then, due to heat and flame, the refrigerator compressor expanded and exploded. We had, in time, removed four gas cylinders. The flat was around 1,100 sq. ft. and was a 2.5 BHK,” said Sawant.

Nine fire engines, each with four firemen, five water tankers, turntable ladders, and a 90-meter hydraulic platform were deployed. Sawant suggested that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit, though the exact cause remains under investigation by the chief electrical inspector.

Security guards kept the gated community out of bounds, preventing entry during the incident. The fire damaged electric wiring, installations, wooden furniture, household articles, and several other items in the tenth-floor flat, with some damage extending to the curtains and window glass of flat 1102 on the eleventh floor.