Khar Danda Fire: Saw my uncle screaming ‘jal raha hai’

According to what little Rishikesh knows, a rat bite caused a leak in the gas pipe. But it went unnoticed as the air conditioning was on the entire night, after they wrapped up Mother’s Day celebrations. “My grandmother probably went to make tea in the morning, and as soon as she lit the lighter, there was a spark,” he said.

Rishiskesh Patil, 18.

Khar Danda Fire: Saw my uncle screaming ‘jal raha hai’

The blast woke the whole neighborhood up. Eighteen-year-old Rishikesh Patil, who lives on the top floor with his mother, was about to go to sleep after a full night’s work. “I looked out of the window and saw my uncle running out, screaming, ‘Jal raha hai, jal raha hai,’” he said.

According to what little Rishikesh knows, a rat bite caused a leak in the gas pipe. But it went unnoticed as the air conditioning was on the entire night, after they wrapped up Mother’s Day celebrations. “My grandmother probably went to make tea in the morning, and as soon as she lit the lighter, there was a spark,” he said.

That was all that was needed for the leaked gas to ignite, and it led to a blast. The glass window shattered, throwing bits and pieces from the houses into the passageway outside. The fire was momentary, going out soon. The other houses in the vicinity were not affected.

An ambulance and the fire brigade were called quickly, but instead of waiting for them, the neighbours and family members rushed the injured in rickshaws to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra. The fire brigade and the police arrived and inspected the cylinders of the houses in the block. With the rest of the family at the hospital with the accident victims, Rishikesh stayed back with his younger cousins, waiting for news.

Rohit Vasudev Babu, 23.

“First thing I did was to turn off the switch board in the galli,” said Rohit Vasudev Babu, 23, a neighbour, describing the panic after a loud blast resounded in the neighborhood. All those asleep and half-awake were shaken by it, and rushed out of their houses, especially after the screams. He points to the dark footprint marks of the burn victims a little away from the house, a remnant of their running in pain.

One of the neighbors called for an ambulance, but to no avail. “The blast happened at 7:45 am, but the ambulance came only after 9:00 am. The fire brigade took time locating the place,” said Akansha, his wife. Acting quickly, the gathered neighbours called for rickshaws and rushed the injured family to Bhabha Hospital.

— Sabah Virani and Radhika Jain