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Mumbai: A major fire broke out early Friday morning at the Times Tower, a 14-storey glass facade building in the Kamala Mills compound, Lower Parel (West). The fire was extinguished after a five-hour operation by the city fire brigade. No one was injured. However, the incident has sparked concerns about fire safety in the Kamala Mills compound.
In 2017 a major fire had taken place in the compound killing 14 people. Despite this, the fire brigade has not done a thorough fire audit of the massive commercial complex. There are allegations of illegal alterations and additions in several of the offices.
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Fire at Times Tower | File Photo
The fire, which started at 6:20 a.m. in an electrical panel of the Tower, which houses several offices, quickly escalated to a Level 2 fire, indicating a major incident. A team of fire brigade personnel, along with police and local ward office staff, rushed to the spot.
"The fire was confined to the electrical wiring in the panel from the 7th to the 10th floor. It affected electrical installations, false ceilings, office furniture, records, and files on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors. Additionally, it damaged the acrylic sheets on the glass facade from the ground floor up to the 10th floor of the building," said a fire official.
The firefighting operation involved five fire engines, seven jumbo tankers, breathing apparatus, and an ambulance. Two divisional and two additional divisional fire officers were on site to oversee the operation. Since the fire occurred early in the morning, the building was empty, which helped avoid casualties.
According to sources, if the fire had occurred in the afternoon, there could have been more casualties. During the firefighting effort, firemen had to use chisel hammers to break the locks of office doors from the 2nd to the 14th floor to gain access and effectively combat the blaze. The fire was covered from all sides by 10.15 and extinguished by 11.54 am.
A senior fire official on site stated, "The fire was brought under control quickly due to our prompt action. Despite the dense smoke, we used breathing apparatus to navigate through it. Fortunately, the building's firefighting system was operational. The exact cause of the fire will be determined after an investigation. While no violations are apparent at first glance, we have notified a designated official who will visit the site next week to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report." Meanwhile, ShivSena (UBT) MLA Aditya Thackeray visited the site and demanded fire audit of all structures in Kamala Mills compound.
On December 29, 2017, a fire at 1 Above in Kamala Mills spread to Mojo's Bistro, killing 14 people and injuring several others. Mumbai Police charged the restaurant owners, employees, BMC officials, and mill owners with culpable homicide and violations of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006.
A three-member judicial committee investigating the incident found serious violations of safety conditions by the restaurant owners, as stipulated under the NOCs issued by the medical health officer. Additionally, civic officials were held accountable for dereliction of duty and unlawful conduct concerning the approvals and sanctions granted to the restaurants.
Ravi Raja, former Opposition leader, criticised the situation at Kamala Mills, saying, "There are significant violations within the Kamala Mills compound, exacerbated by a lack of regular inspections to curb unauthorised constructions. The current commissioner, Bhushan Gagrani should undertake a comprehensive fire and FSI audit to address these issues and tackle the underlying corruption."
