Mumbai: Goregaon Blaze Prompts Fire Audit Of SRA Buildings

Mumbai: Following the major fire, which claimed seven lives and left 62 injured, at a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building in Goregaon, the fire brigade has decided to conduct a fire audit of all the SRA buildings from next week onwards. The action comes after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde issued directives in this regard. Meanwhile, five of those injured in the Friday incident continued to remain critical.

Notice to be issued to buildings failing to comply with fire safety norms

A massive blaze erupted at Jay Bhavani building which lacked a functional firefighting system. The fire audit will take at least 10 days and notices will be issued in cases of violation of fire safety norms. A notice will be issued to those buildings who fail to comply with fire safety norms, said a senior civic official. “A time period of 30-120 days would be given to the societies to comply with the notice, failing which they will have to face any action,” said a senior fire official.

Fire intensified due to presence of combustible materials

It's being speculated that the Jay Bhavani fire intensified due to the presence of large quantities of nylon and polyester clothing items stored in the stilt area. These items are known for their poor heat conductivity. However, the residents were up in arms when the civic officials tried to dispose of these materials. “The items have been removed from the stilt area and transported to a dumping ground,” said an official of the P-South ward.

The fire also wrecked the building's electrical wiring hence the restoration work will be carried out soon. Till then, the residents have been accommodated at the Unnat Nagar municipal school premises, said civic sources. The condition of the remaining 47 injured people is stable, two were discharged while eight others have taken discharge against medical advice till Saturday. All of them have been admitted to civic hospitals – HBT Trauma Care, Cooper and Kasturba.

“An accidental death report has been registered while no first information report has been lodged yet,” confirmed Goregaon police station senior Inspector Dattatray Thopate.