Mill fire a sabotage? BMC sends debris for analysis

To ascertain the cause of last week’s fire at Gold Mohur Mills in Dadar, the Fire Department on Monday sent debris samples for analysis to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory.

To ascertain the cause of last week’s fire at Gold Mohur Mills in Dadar, the Fire Department on Monday sent debris samples for analysis to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory.

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The fire brigade and the civic body suspect the blaze was a result of sabotage.

A senior fire official said one of 50 cases of fire requires forensic analysis to work out its cause. “This is not a routine case,” said Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare. “The samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory to try and find out the cause of the fire.”

As per procedure, possible causes will first be listed, after which circumstantial evidence to corroborate each cause will be lined up against each.

Two or three possible causes with most pieces of corroborative evidence are finalised as probable causes and investigated further, said Tatkare.

Fire Brigade officials visited the site and recorded eyewitnesses’ statements present at the mill at the time of the blaze.

Officials said a day prior to the fire, some machine loaders visited the mill to take some machines and they were told not to smoke in the premises. Enquiries will be made with the loaders. Officially, it was said the fire broke out when workers were cutting rods using LPG cylinders.