Probe begins in Mumbai building fire, 8 still critical

According to a BMC statement on Sunday, the probe committee will be headed by deputy municipal commissioner-level officer and a report has to be submitted within 15 days.

A four-member committee formed to probe the deadly fire that broke out in a 20-storey residential building in south Mumbai on Saturday began its inquiry on Sunday as eight of the injured remained in critical condition, officials familiar with the matter said. Six people were killed in and 24 others wounded in the fire.

The Maharashtra government has also assured of investigation into the fire incident. (PTI )

The blaze erupted around 7.30am on Saturday at Sachinam Heights, a ground-plus-20-storey building located opposite Bhatia Hospital at Gowalia Tank in south Mumbai’s Tardeo area when many of the residents were still asleep. Deputy commissioner of police Sourabh Tripathi said primary information has indicated that the fire started on the 15th floor and spread upward to the 19th floor which was affected the most.

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said the fire was extinguished nearly five hours later at 12.20 pm with the help of 15 fire-tending vehicles. The incident raised questions about the state of the fire-fighting equipment installed in the high-rise, he said.

According to a BMC statement on Sunday, the probe committee will be headed by deputy municipal commissioner-level officer and a report has to be submitted within 15 days.

The enquiry will look into three aspects: cause of fire in consultation with chief fire officer, reasons for the spread of the fire, illegal addition /alteration in the building beyond approved plans, if any, said an official familiar with the developments in the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

The civic body has also started deliberations with the state government to formulate a policy on making periodic electrical audits mandatory, said an official familiar with the matter.

The Maharashtra government has also assured of investigation into the fire incident.

“The fire incident that occurred at the Kamala building in Mumbai’s Tardeo area will be investigated. Our guardian minister of Mumbai Suburban Aaditya Thackeray and Mumbai City guardian minister Aslam Shaikh will look into it,” Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said in a statement.

Officials of the Mumbai Fire Brigade said they have jointly conducted a meeting with the state electrical inspector, along with BMC officials, to conduct periodic electrical safety audits of the buildings to help reduce the incidents of fires due to defective electric circuit

“The general opinion is that residential societies should be asked to conduct electrical audits on the lines of fire audit currently conducted every six months. The electrical inspector can make an electrical audit mandatory once in a year or whatever period is decided, and later the compliance report with us. We will also give them inputs in formulating such a policy considering this will bring down the fire incidents in the city,” said Hemant Parab, Chief Fire Officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

“In many of the fire incidents we have seen that electric wires that are defected are either the cause of the fire or contribute towards the spreading of fire. Hence, we need to fix this issue for which we will require periodic electrical audits,” he added.