JANUARY 21: The sixty-year-old Central Plaza cinema at Girgaum, one of the landmarks in the city, caught fire at around 5.00 am on Wednesday, completely destroying the hall and foyer. However, no casualties were reported. Nine fire engines and five tankers fought for more than two hours before extinguishing the blaze.Rank upon rank of charred chairs today stand as mute testimony to the catastrophe. Ceiling fans without blades, wrinkled tapes used for holding the screen together, and partially burnt foam which cushion the floor added flavour to the smell of burnt wood and metal. Unable to withstand the heat, the iron railings on the balcony were bent. Though the extent of financial loss for the owners has not been ascertained yet, unofficial sources claim that it runs into lakhs of rupees.The fire could well have been like the one in Uphaar theatre in New Delhi on June 13 last year which charred to death 59 innocent lives, except that the fire occured after the late night show ended. Fire brigade officials confirmed that no one was hurt.With the generator room and the projectors having survived the ordeal, an electrical short circuit has been ruled out, adding to the possibility of sabotage.Fire officials claimed that the theatre had observed all the necessary regulations for fire safety. "The licences of all cinema houses in the city were renewed after December 31, 1997, after being checked by fire officers for safety," claimed a senior fire official.Unconfirmed reports say that once the late night show got over, a group of servants cleaned up the hall a few hours before the fire was first noticed. The theatre had been renovated nearly a year ago. Refusing to state the actual money spent on renovation, the theatre manager A G Desai said, "The theatre will be operational by next year."
