MUMBAI: A fire broke out on the 20th floor of a Ghatkopar East high-rise on Friday evening, leaving three persons injured, and prompting the evacuation of the entire building, including senior citizens and ailing residents. The fire in the residential building – Altreza, in Pantnagar — which was reported around 8:08 pm, was extinguished by 11:10 pm by the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB).
The cause of the fire remains disputed. deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Shinde stated a short circuit was responsible While preliminary accounts suggest a firecracker entered a joint flat and sparked the blaze. She also questioned the delay in bringing a large fire ladder to the spot, claiming it arrived nearly an hour after the incident.
The MFB declared it a Level-I fire at 8:30 pm but subsequently upgraded it to Level-II at 8:52 pm. Sonal Mehta, 39, a resident of a neighbouring building, said: “The non-functional firefighting system made the evacuation and rescue efforts difficult.
He also noted that a failure in the building’s internal firefighting system may have worsened the situation. “Initially, the building’s fire-fighting system was not functioning. It functioned when the fire brigade personnel started it. Fire brigade personnel also conducted a search operation to ascertain whether anyone remained trapped inside. One needs to investigate why the firefighting systems were not working.
Naveen Shah, 47, another flat owner of the building, said inadequate parking space resulted in two-wheelers being parked outside, which interfered with the evacuation process. DCP Shinde, however, said the fire originated due to a short circuit; therefore, the entire building was evacuated as a precautionary measure. Also, it took the fire brigade 40 minutes to reach the spot due to traffic congestion.
A stray firecracker sparked the blaze after landing inside a flat, causing panicked residents to flee, said Mumbai chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar. The matter will be investigated,” he said. A Ghatkopar resident, Sachin Pawar, said the fire had engulfed the two uppermost floors of the building. Raising questions about the building’s fire safety arrangements, he said, “This building is new and has an occupation certificate. “Following the fire, these vehicles had to be moved to clear the area, while some two-wheelers were shifted to neighbouring buildings,” he said.
