Firecracker or short circuit suspected trigger of Ghatkopar high-rise blaze; 3 injured

The cause of the fire remains disputed. While preliminary accounts suggest a firecracker entered a joint flat and sparked the blaze, deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Shinde stated a short circuit was responsible

MUMBAI: A fire broke out on the 20th floor of a Ghatkopar East high-rise on Friday evening, leaving three persons injured, and prompting the evacuation of the entire building, including senior citizens and ailing residents. The fire in the residential building – Altreza, in Pantnagar -- which was reported around 8:08 pm, was extinguished by 11:10 pm by the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB).

Firecracker or short circuit suspected trigger of Ghatkopar high-rise blaze; 3 injured

The cause of the fire remains disputed. While preliminary accounts suggest a firecracker entered a joint flat and sparked the blaze, deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Shinde stated a short circuit was responsible.

The MFB declared it a Level-I fire at 8:30 pm but subsequently upgraded it to Level-II at 8:52 pm.

The injured have been identified as Rajesh Lodaya, 47, and his cousin Nirav Lodaya, 34, and Sainath Awale, 45. Rajesh and Nirav were rushed to Zynova Hospital in Ghatkopar West after suffering suffocation, while Sainath was taken to Rajawadi Hospital, in Ghatkopar East, for treatment of 27% burn injuries. The on-duty medical officer of Rajawadi Hospital said Sainath’s condition was stable, while reports on the other two injured at Zynova are awaited.

A stray firecracker sparked the blaze after landing inside a flat, causing panicked residents to flee, said Mumbai chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar. He also noted that a failure in the building’s internal firefighting system may have worsened the situation. “Initially, the building’s fire-fighting system was not functioning. It functioned when the fire brigade personnel started it. The matter will be investigated,” he said.

DCP Shinde, however, said the fire originated due to a short circuit; therefore, the entire building was evacuated as a precautionary measure. Fire brigade personnel also conducted a search operation to ascertain whether anyone remained trapped inside.

A Ghatkopar resident, Sachin Pawar, said the fire had engulfed the two uppermost floors of the building. Raising questions about the building’s fire safety arrangements, he said, “This building is new and has an occupation certificate. One needs to investigate why the firefighting systems were not working. Also, it took the fire brigade 40 minutes to reach the spot due to traffic congestion.”

There are no fire stations in Ghatkopar East and West. Fire tenders responding to emergencies in the area are deployed from Mankhurd, Chembur and Vikhroli. The distance and traffic conditions can affect the response time, particularly during peak hours.

Deepak Ghanatra, 69, a 13th floor resident of the building shared that he was playing with his granddaughter when they saw pieces of glass shards falling around them. “We immediately ran to safety. I called my daughter-in-law and asked her to rush downstairs as well,” he said.

Naveen Shah, 47, another flat owner of the building, said inadequate parking space resulted in two-wheelers being parked outside, which interfered with the evacuation process. “Following the fire, these vehicles had to be moved to clear the area, while some two-wheelers were shifted to neighbouring buildings,” he said.

Sonal Mehta, 39, a resident of a neighbouring building, said: “The non-functional firefighting system made the evacuation and rescue efforts difficult.” She also questioned the delay in bringing a large fire ladder to the spot, claiming it arrived nearly an hour after the incident.