Kamala Mills fire: Lack of ventilation was primary reason people died, say doctors

The post-mortem report of 14 deaths due to fire at ‘1 Above’ in Kamala Mills, Lower Parel has revealed that people lost their lives due to suffocation. 

Doctors in KEM Hospital stated that due to lack of ventilation 14 people lost their lives. All of them were found inside the toilet and were unconscious when rescued by the fire brigade authority.

“The people who died tried to save themselves from the fire by hiding in the toilet but faced suffocation due to a mixture of chemical gases.  While bodies were handed over to the family members after post-mortem, blood samples were preserved for further chemical analysis. Primarily, blood samples from all the deceased were seen of cherry red color which indicates mixture of carbon monoxide combined with haemoglobin. All died due to asphyxiation, none of them have died in flames but due to fumes. A proper evacuation plan could have avoided this,” Dr Harish Pathak, head of the forensic department, KEM Hospital.

Dr Rajesh Dere who performed post-mortem at KEM Hospital said, “there are hardly any burn marks on the deceased people’s body. These people would have locked themselves with an aim to saves their lives and escape a fire.”

Besides KEM Hospital, injured were also shifted to other hospitals such as Masina hospital, Breach Candy hospital, Hinduja hospital, Bhatia Hospital and civic-run Sion hospital. While the majority of the injured were discharged from all the hospital, 14 injured are taking treatment at Bhatia Hospital.

“Three people have been admitted to the burns unit with 15 to 30 per cent burn injuries of which two are in critical condition. The patients are showing improvement. Other 11 patients are in stable condition and will be discharged within three days,” said a spokesperson from Bhatia Hospital.”