Blaze at plush Bandra tower, fire-fighting system ‘defunct’

MUMBAI: A fire broke out on the 14th floor of a prominent residential luxury tower on Bandstand, Bandra (west), on Monday evening. While no civilian was reported injured, a fireman sustained minor injuries due to suffocation while fighting the fire. The blaze was brought under control around 9.30pm. Officials said the fire-fighting system at the tower was defunct.

The fireman, Kaushal Rajput (31), was rushed to the civic run Bhabha Hospital.

A senior fire official said repair work was being carried out between the 13th and 14th floors of Jivesh Terrace, a ground-plus 21-storey structure near actor Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow, Mannat.

Fire officials said that the blaze, reported around 7.45pm, was a ‘level 2’ fire — one that could be managed by the local fire station. Eight fire engines were pressed into service.

“The fire-fighting system was not working... All residents were evacuated,” a fire brigade official said, adding that a detailed investigation would be carried out and based on the findings, a notice will be issued to the building.

“The exact cause of the fire is not known. We switched off the electricity connection as a precautionary measure,” the official said. Officials added that residents moved to the basement parking in the building.

Chief fire officer Hemant Parab said that everyone from the higher floors was evacuated and fire-fighters entered the flat where the blaze had erupted,

A local claimed that the blaze seemed to have originated from the air-conditioning units in one of the flats.

Former Bandra corporator Asif Zakaria said that the fire seems to have been caused due to a short circuit. “It’s one of the prominent buildings in the locality. Fortunately, no one was trapped and the fire brigade arrived on time,” said Zakaria.

BJP MLA from Bandra (west) Ashish Shelar said on Twitter that the fire brigade, police and other authorities were on site to douse the fire.