Fire damages part of 12th floor of building in BKC

A fire broke out in a 13-storey commercial building with a glass façade at Bandra-Kurla Complex on Friday morning. Save for a firefighter who suffered minor burns, the fire did not cause any injuries as the building is yet to be occupied and the workers managed to escape. But firefighters pointed out that the building’s glass façade was a big hindrance when it came to fighting the fire.

A fire broke out in a 13-storey commercial building with a glass façade at Bandra-Kurla Complex on Friday morning. Save for a firefighter who suffered minor burns, the fire did not cause any injuries as the building is yet to be occupied and the workers managed to escape. But firefighters pointed out that the building’s glass façade was a big hindrance when it came to fighting the fire.

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The fire originated in the 12th floor of the First International Financial Centre. While officials don’t know when exactly the fire started, the fire brigade got a call at 10.30am. It was brought under control in two hours and was completely doused by 1.45pm.

Firefighters who were part of the operations to douse the blaze suspect that a short circuit in the server room caused the fire. The room, officials said, housed servers and other electrical equipment, which could have led to the fire spreading rapidly.

The fire gutted a large part of the 12th floor and had spread to the 11th and the 13th floors before it could be brought under control. Firefighters said glass façades block the ventilation in a building, and that worsened the inferno. Ultimately, firefighters had to break the glass to improve ventilation and prevent the fire from spreading further.

As the building was not ready for occupation, fire officials said that it did not break any fire safety norms. “We used the building’s firefighting provisions to douse the fire. We won’t charge them with negligence as the building is not occupied yet,” said a firefighter, requesting anonymity.

Chief fire officer Suhas Joshi said the fire brigade would probe the incident. “We will check if the building had an occupation certificate. Prima facie, it looks like office furniture, electrical wiring and the servers in the room led to the fire and its spread.”

The police said they have taken cognisance of the incident. “No FIR [first information report] has been registered as no foul play is suspected and no casualties were reported,” said Chandrakant Bhosale, senior inspector, Bandra-Kurla Complex police station.