Fire brigade’s report points out lapses in Link mall fire’s fire-fighting system

In its report, the MFB administration also recommended taking action against the licensed private agency which was responsible for auditing and maintaining the fire-fighting systems that were in place at the mall. Furthermore, in the report the MFB had stated that the blaze had erupted from the basement of the building and spread to the upper floors of the structure.

“The private agency was responsible for regular check-ups of the fire-fighting system including alarms and extinguishers. The existing system during the time of incident was defunct. Therefore, had the agency flagged the lapses in the existing fire-fighting system, then the damages would have been much lesser in nature,” said a senior civic official.

The civic officials also maintained that a structural audit of the building has been ordered by the authorities considering the extent of damage that was caused due to the blaze. The authorities said that the prima-facie examination shows that there was no illegal structural altercation that was found in the building. However, for a concrete result, a structural audit has been ordered through an empanelled auditor.

During the wee hours on April 29, a massive blaze broke out in the building. While no lives were lost in the incident, the fire resulted in immense damage to property. The mall was built by former Bandra MLA Baba Siddiqui who was shot dead by gunmen last year.