Mumbai: Fire in Borivli East High-Rise Claims Life of 70-Year-Old, Injures Three Others

Mumbai, 26th July 2024: A fire that erupted in a high-rise building in Borivli East shortly after noon on Thursday resulted in the death of a 70-year-old man and injuries to three others.

The blaze occurred at the 22-storey Kanakia Samarpan Tower, where over 100 residents, including elderly individuals, were rescued by fire officials. Security personnel of the building also managed to safely evacuate some residents from the lower floors.

The building lacked a functional firefighting system, aside from a few fire extinguishers, according to an official. A notice may be issued to the housing society regarding this deficiency.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a short circuit in the electrical duct between the seventh and eighth floors triggered the fire. Although the fire was extinguished within half an hour, smoke infiltrated the corridors of several floors, as reported by a witness.

Mahendra Shah, a resident of the 21st floor, was declared dead before reaching the hospital. The injured—Ranjana Rajput (59), her daughter Shivani Rajput (26), and Shobha Savle (70)—suffered from suffocation and are currently stable in the hospital.

Jamil Ahmed, a training officer from the security agency, stated that the housing society’s security supervisor alerted them to smoke filling the 13th-floor passage. “We began evacuating residents via the staircase, but progress was hindered by dense smoke beyond the 13th floor. Only the fire brigade could assist those trapped on higher floors. Shah was brought down by the fire officials. The injured reported suffocation,” he explained.

According to a security guard, staff attempted to control the fire with extinguishers until the fire brigade arrived. Residents complained of smoke-filled homes and difficulty breathing.

A fire brigade official confirmed that the fire originated in the electrical duct between the seventh and eighth floors, with smoke spreading to other levels. Between 100 and 150 residents were rescued, with some taken to the terrace for safety. Smoke-logging caused panic among residents. Efforts to extinguish the fire with extinguishers were ineffective without turning off the electrical supply, necessitating the use of hose lines up to the 13th floor. The senior citizen may have died on the way to the hospital despite initial rescue efforts.