A tragic incident unfolded in Mumbai’s Goregaon area as a fire swept through a residential building in the early hours of Friday, claiming the lives of seven individuals, including two minors, and leaving over 60 injured. The fire’s impact is severe, with five of the injured individuals currently in critical condition.
Shortly after the incident, the city’s fire brigade chief revealed that the building in question lacked any firefighting system, highlighting a critical lapse in safety measures. Despite this, approximately 30 residents were rescued from various parts of the seven-story structure.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed condolences for the lives lost and announced an ex gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each of the deceased victims’ families. He also assured that those injured in the fire would receive treatment at government expense.
The fire ignited around 3 am in the Jay Bhavani SRA building, situated near Azad Maidan at Unnat Nagar in Goregaon West. Reports suggest that the ground floor of the building contained a significant amount of old clothing.
A total of 68 residents were rushed to various hospitals for treatment. While 42 were admitted to the civic-run HBT Trauma Care hospital in Jogeshwari, 15 were taken to BMC-run Cooper Hospital in Juhu, and 11 were transported to three private hospitals. Tragically, seven individuals, including two minors and several women, lost their lives, with six succumbing at Trauma Care and one at Cooper. The condition of five other victims remains critical, while nine chose to leave the hospital against medical advice.
Ravindra Ambulgekar, the chief fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, emphasized that the Jay Bhavani SRA building was old and devoid of any firefighting system, underscoring the dire need for safety measures in such structures.
According to Sudhakar Pujarey, an officer bearer of the housing society, the building consists of two wings: a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) structure and a saleable portion. The fire began in the SRA building.
BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal clarified that none of the fatalities resulted from burns, but rather from suffocation due to the smoke and flames. Firefighters battled the blaze, which had already engulfed the ground floor, old clothing, shops, and two-wheelers, taking nearly four hours to extinguish the flames.
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