Mumbai: An infant was killed and her four-year-old sister was injured after a fire broke out at the pumping room of a building at Perry Cross Road, Bandra, on Monday.
One-and-a-half-year-old Dedi and Uma, who were asleep in their 120 sq. ft. house above the pumping room at Shoeb Manzil, were affected by smoke. Uma is in the ICU of Holy Family Hospital and is critical.
According to the police, the girls’ father, Shankar Bahadur, works for the owner of the two-decade-old building, which houses the Carter Road branch of the SBI. “Prima facie, the fire seems to have been caused by a short circuit as the wires were very old. A case has been registered,” an officer said.
A case has been registered against the owner and the parents. Though locals said the parents had gone out and latched the door, the police denied it.
Around noon, residents noticed smoke coming out of the tiny room and tried to douse it. They said even the sole window was shut. The fire brigade received a call at 12.02 p.m. and sent one fire engine, which reached at 12.30 p.m.
Fire brigade officers classified it as level I and extinguished it within minutes. Locals, however, claimed that the fire was not major and that they had put it out by the time the officers arrived.
The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, clothes, and the wooden window frame. “Constructing a room above a pump room for residence is illegal and we will be lodging a police complaint against office-bearers of the society,” said Prabhat Rahangadale, Chief Fire Officer.
Doctors at Holy Family Hospital said Uma’s condition has slightly improved. “She is being administered oxygen and under observation,” a doctor said.
Marol blaze
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries during an operation in Andheri. The fire broke out at around 1 a.m. in a manufacturing unit, which was a ground plus one structure. The fire brigade got the call at 1.16 a.m. and sent eight fire engines and six water tankers.
While the fire was initially termed as level II, it was declared level III at 2.06 a.m.. It was brought under control at 5.12 a.m. Since the factory had closed operations for the day, there were no casualties. The injured firefighters, Jagdish Bangar and Vikas Chavan, were sent to Cooper hospital and later discharged.
Plastic frames used in sunglasses were being manufactured in the building. While the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officers said the presence of inflammable materials may have added fuel. “The factory roof was made of asbestos, which collapsed due to the heat causing the fire to spread,” said a senior fire officer.
