One Avighna Park fire: Firefighting system didn’t work efficiently, says fire brigade in FIR

The complainant, assistant fire officer Charandas Pawar, in his statement to the police, said that the firefighting system of One Avighna Park, Currey Road,didn’t work on time, and when it started to work, the force of the water was not enough

The in-built firefighting system of One Avighna Park, Currey Road, did not work efficiently, hence the fire could not be doused in time, leading to the unfortunate incident, the fire department has said in the first information report (FIR) registered by Kalachowkie police, late Friday night against the owner of the high-rise and the contractor responsible for maintaining its firefighting system. However, no specific person has been named in the FIR.

The in-built firefighting system of One Avighna Park, Currey Road, did not work efficiently, hence the fire could not be doused in time, said the FIR. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

On Friday morning, a level four (serious emergency call) fire was reported in the 60-storey high-rise at Currey Road, claiming the life of a security guard.

The guard, Arun Tiwari, who had rushed to rescue residents, fell to his death from the 19th floor as fire and smoke engulfed apartment no. 1902 on the floor. The fire brigade rescued 16 residents trapped in smoke-filled corridors. After dousing the fire, the fire department carried out a preliminary inquiry, based on which a police complaint has been filed.

The complainant, assistant fire officer Charandas Pawar, in his statement to the police, said that the firefighting system of the building didn’t work on time, and when it started to work, the force of the water was not enough. As a result, the fire could not be controlled in time, said the police.

“Based on the fire department’s complaint, we have lodged an FIR under sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 336 (act done rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others) of Indian Penal Code and 3(1) and 3(3) of Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act against the owner of the building and the agency, which was given the responsibility of fire safety and system maintenance,” said Vijay Patil, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), zone 4.

The police have so far recorded the statement of seven to eight witnesses including the elder daughter of the owner of flat 1902 and his maid. “From the statements of the witnesses that include the residents as well as the security staff, it is not yet clear when and how security guard Arun Tiwari went inside the flat no. 1902 where the fire erupted. He got trapped inside the smoke-filled flat and later in an attempt to go to the lower flower from the balcony of the flat, he lost grip of the ledge and fell,” said Anand Mulay, senior inspector of Kalachowki police station.

“We would also check if the fire safety alarm system of the building worked or not at the relevant,” said DCP Patil.

Kailash Agarwal, chairperson of Nish Developers, which constructed One Avighna Park, on Friday had said, “The building’s fire safety is one of the best in the world. We have procured the system from Norway by spending around ₹10 crore. We have also been regularly conducting fire drills and submitting fire audit reports to the competent authorities.”