Lokhandwala building fire kills one, injures six

Residents panicked and ran to the ground floor while a few from the top floor were asked by the security to go to the terrace

MUMBAI: A Level One fire in Brooklyn building in Lokhandwala, Andheri East, claimed one life and injured six people in the wee hours of Saturday. The Mumbai fire brigade received a call from residents of the eight-storey building at 2.39 am and reached the spot when the fire was still blazing. Those who had breathed in smoke were moved to Kokilaben Hospital, HBT Trauma Care Centre and Cooper Hospital by firemen.

The Mumbai fire brigade received a call from residents of the eight-storey building at 2.39 am and reached the spot when the fire was still blazing. (Praful Gangurde /HT Photo)

The fire, which began in the first-floor apartment of 62-year-old Chhaya Wadia, was first sensed by her sister who lives on the second floor. As she rushed downstairs to wake her, security guard Shishir Jadhav also smelled smoke at 2 am. He woke up helper Sanjay Mahajto, and together they knocked on every door to alert residents. “This is an old building so there are no fire alarms. The ones who got out tried to call others but many phones were on silent mode so it was chaotic,” said Divya Sharma, a resident.

The air conditioner in one of Wadia’s bedrooms, not in use for a long time, had caught fire. “It was a Level One fire caused due to a short circuit. It started at 2.30 am and was doused by 5.30 am,” said a fire officer, who added that the fire spread through the electric wiring and installations, two ACs, wooden furniture, mattresses, clothes and household articles.

Residents panicked and ran to the ground floor while a few from the top floor were asked by the security to go to the terrace. “Even though the fire was confined to the first floor in one house, the whole building was affected,” said Jadhav.

Abhina Kartik Sanjanvalia, 36, a pet parent who lives on the sixth floor and was supposed to go to the terrace, was declared dead on admission at Cooper Hospital. “Both her dogs ran downstairs, and in an attempt to save them, she ran after them,” said Sharma. “She was asthmatic and inhaled the toxic smoke on the way down. She fainted on reaching downstairs and died.”

Soon after, both the dogs lost their lives. Abhina’s husband Karthik, 40, was in critical condition and admitted to the ICU at Cooper Hospital. However, he took discharge against medical advice and was moved to another hospital, where he was still critical on Saturday night.

The residents complained about the fire brigade reaching late. “We called 101 and 102 but couldn’t get through,” said Wadia. “After 10 minutes, we reached out to the police who then connected us. The fire brigade took at least 40 minutes to reach, by which time the building had been almost completely vacated.”

Dhaval Shah, founder of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association, said there was no fire brigade in the vicinity. “Twenty percent of the plot in Chitrakoot Ground in Lokhandwala is reserved for a fire station but the construction has been stuck for ages,” he said. “Tenders were supposed to be floated, and the work should have begun this month, but it hasn’t.”