Fire chief acknowledges hydrants, sprinklers helped, points to quick control despite blaze on 32nd, 33rd floor
It was the internal fire fighting systems of the plush Prabhadevi high rise, BeauMonde, which helped in containing the fire in its B wing on Wednesday despite allegations that the buildings internal security guards wasted time before informing the Fire Brigade and the police.
The fire gutted a penthouse on 33rd and 32nd floor which was empty and a flat on the 31st floor.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Harish Abhiyani, owns the penthouse which caught fire. However, he was not staying there.
"They have hired an agency which does not have skilled people to douse the fire. They tried to douse the fire on their own and did not call the fire officials. It ended spreading the fire," said Kishori Pednekar, local corporator from Shiv Sena who had come to visit the place.
Sada Sarvankar, Shiv Sena MLA, whose party rules the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, slammed the municipal commissioner and the fire officials for allowing such high rises.
"They have allowed such high rises to come up when they do not even have ladders to reach there. They cannot rely only on the internal firefighting system. How does the BMC and fire official allow permissions to be given? There is a competition to go higher which is dangerous. I will also raise this issue in assembly," said Sarankar.
The 90-metre fire ladder brought by fire brigade could not be used as it could not match the height of the floors which caught fire. Instead, the fire officials relied on internal firefighting.
"The fire hydrant system, automatic sprinkler systems were in working condition. We used them and brought in some extra hose and pipes to do firefighting. This must be the first time that fire in such a building was doused so quickly. As per national building code and other rules, firefighting in high rises is to be done by internal firefighting system. There are buildings that are 400-metre tall too in the world and they too rely in internal fire fighting system," said P Rahangdale, chief fire officer, denying the allegations of the futility of the ladder.
However, the water tank of the building was not sufficient and the BMC had to fill the 1.5 lakh litre tank several times besides supplying additional water. "The reason for the fire is to be ascertained," said Rahangdale.
PREVIOUS FIRES IN POSH BUILDINGS
FEBRUARY 11, 2018
A fire broke at a 22-storey under-construction residential tower at the site of Rustomjee Seasons near MIG Colony at Bandra East. Nearly 100 working inside the site managed to escape
DECEMBER 25, 2017
Fire broke out on the 18th floor of a duplex flat in the swanky Legend Towers, a 32-storey building in Walkeshwar
JULY 10, 2017
A minor fire at the ninth floor of Antilia, business tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s 27-storey residence at Altamount Road in south Mumbai
DECEMBER 20, 2016
On the 22nd floor of the Air India building
DECEMBER 6, 2016
On the 9th floor of Shivam Tower at Nahar Amrit Shakti complex, Sakinaka
2 INJURED
1 DIED
OCTOBER 18, 2016
On two floors, 20th and 21st floors of Maker Tower, Cuffe Parade and gutted the duplex apartment owned by Shekhar Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Electricals
2 DIED
Compiled by RNA –Research N Archives
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