1,237 blazes in six months turned the heat on Mumbai

The fire officials were kept on their toes as the city reported as many as 1,237 blazes in the six months between May and October. Of these, 14 were major fires which collectively claimed one life and left 15 injured.

These facts were revealed by the Mumbai fire brigade in its latest report, which has been submitted to the civic body’s standing committee.

In the report, the fire brigade states that the largest number of fires — 245 — were reported in the scorching month of June, when there was high humidity and temperatures before the onset of the monsoon.

However, they were all minor blazes and did not lead to major injuries or death.

In contrast, though only 182 fires were reported in October — when, again, the temperatures and humidity were at its peak — seven of them were major and caused one death, leaving 14 people injured.

Interestingly, according to the report, all the major fires broke out not in the heat of the day, but between midnight and early morning. Officials say this could be a result of leaving the mains unattended, or worse, because of foul play.

In fact, the fire brigade has not been able to ascertain the cause of two major fires, one of which broke out at Gazebo Market, Bandra Linking Road. The incident occurred at 6.34am on September 29.

The fire brigade says that the cause of the appears to be suspicious and the police are investigating the case. In the another incident which occurred at Om Hira Panna Mall, Jogeshwari, on May 13 at 4.13 in the morning, the cause appears suspicious. The police are investigating this matter, too.

The report also points out that the most predominant cause of fires in this period was faulty electric supply. Faults in the mains or in the cables are the main reason behind 10 of the major fires, the report says.

“The fires occurred in the night or early in the morning and due to faulty electric supply cables. Therefore, people should check them regularly. Such fires can be dangerous as the people are asleep at this time, and if unchecked, the fires can lead to loss of life,” said Uday Tatkare, chief fire officer.

“As precautionary measures, people should check their main electric switches. Besides, residents should alert the Fire Brigade immediately upon noticing a fire instead of trying to douse it themselves,” he said.