A massive fire in a Mumbai building on Saturday morning claimed six lives and left 27 grievously injured. Recalling the fire outbreak in a building in the Tardeo area, its residents said they heard a loud sound followed by black smoke, and also narrated the frenzy of those living there to get out to safety.
“We heard a big noise and rushed outside. There was black smoke coming out of some floors above us. We immediately rushed downstairs and came into the open area,” a resident was quoted saying.
A 50-year-old woman who lives on the fifth floor said, she heard some noise like firecrackers and realized that something was wrong. “As we were all scared, I fell down twice while helping my husband to climb down the staircase. I don’t recall how I reached the open area,” she said.
Residents of the Matrumandir building near Sachinam Heights attributed the blaze to an AC compressor explosion. “We were on the terrace early in the morning when we heard a loud noise, which sounded like some kind of an explosion. We saw the fire and smoke coming out of a flat and immediately called the fire brigade. We then called other fellow residents of our society to make arrangements for rescued citizens of that building to rest in the open space area of our building,” a resident of Matrumandir told reporters.”
A resident of Sachinanm Heights said he had returned from Kurla railway station just before the blaze.
“It was shortly after 7 am when the fire broke out. We were later told it was due to a short circuit. I had gone out to drop my mother at Kurla station. When I returned, I was in the room and heard a loud sound. Suddenly the lights went off. I saw smoke in gallery. There was a melee of residents trying to get out. Many were injured. Some sustained head injuries. The injured included many senior citizens, he said. A woman who lived on the 14th floor of the building said she came to know of the blaze after being woken up by a friend, following which they rushed outside, ” he was quoted saying.
Another woman living on the fourth floor said she came to know of the fire shortly after 7 am. “When we came outside the building, there was a fat-fat sound outside a cabin (which presumably housed the AC compressor). There was smoke first and then there were flames,” she added.
Many residents of the Sachinam building were shifted to the Matrumandir building, where they were given tea and snacks by people there. The blaze erupted around 7 am in Sachinam Heights building located opposite Bhatia Hospital at Gowalia Tank, when many of its residents were still asleep, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
Assistant Commissioner of the M/East ward, Mahendra Ubale, who was at the site of the fire said, “Approximately 15 structures (all godowns) have been affected by the fire. The land is owned by the collector and leased to those who are operating the godown. Cooling operations have been going. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet. It will be established by the fire brigade through their enquires later.”
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief at the loss of lives in a building fire at Tardeo in Mumbai. PM Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh each to the next of the kin of those who lost lives and Rs 50000 each to the injured.
Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray, who visited the spot in the afternoon, announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those who died in the incident. “There were reports about two hospitals refusing treatment, however, both hospitals informed me that they have admitted and treated some of those injured in this fire,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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