Seven killed in Goregaon building fire, 69 injured

The fire was reported at 3.01 am in the stilt parking area of Jay Bhavani complex, a Slum Rehabilitation Authority building located near Azad Maidan. It took more than three hours for the fire tenders to control the flames. The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire. Goregaon Additional Fire Divisional Officer Somnath Bhaye said it is suspected to have broken out in a vehicle parked in the stilt area before spreading through the lift. Most of the fatalities have been reported in the first three floors of the building, owing to intensive smoke logging. Bhaye said the building did not have a firefighting system.

“Several vehicles, including three four-wheelers, 40 motorcycles and bicycles had been parked in the stilt area of the building where the fire broke out. A lot of scrap clothes had also been dumped on the ground floor because of which the fire spread,” Bhaye said. “The fire spread from here to the ground floor and then up to the other floors. The building did not have a fire system in place.”

He said most of the residents of the building were sleeping when the fire broke out.

Municipal Commissioner and state-appointed administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal visited Cooper hospital and Jogeshwari’s HBT Trauma Care Centre, where the injured were undergoing treatment, before heading to the spot. He told reporters that the civic body will give a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the dead as well as free medical treatment to the survivors.

“Members of the Waghri community have been rehabilitated in a few flats in this building. They are rag pickers. Their material was stored in the parking area. After the fire broke out, it spread to their material,” he said.

As senior civic officials maintained that the fire spread owing to the scrap, residents alleged that their bundle of clothes in the basement was not damaged. “The BMC is saying that the fire spread because of the scrap clothes kept in the stilt area. However, the bundle of clothes are intact,” said Sunil Oghania, one of the residents.

Rajesh Akre, Assistant Municipal Commissioner said, “We have rehabilitated the residents in a municipal school for the time being and after electricity is restored we will transfer them back to the building.”

PM Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the families of those dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.