Twelve migrant labourers were charred to death after a fire broke out at a farsan (snack) shop on Khairani Road in Saki Naka, in the early hours of Monday.
The fire brigade control room received a call around 4:17 a.m., and three fire tenders and four jumbo tankers reached Bhanu Farsan shop in the Makhariya Compound by 4:38 a.m. Though the blaze was brought under control within 10 minutes, the cooling operations continued till 7.15 a.m.
Asleep in wooden loft
At least 21 persons were inside the shop when the blaze erupted, a police officials said, adding that nine had managed to escape, Twelve persons were trapped in the loft inside due to intense heat and smoke, he said.
“The fire started on the ground floor and caught those sleeping on the loft above the office off guard. They were trapped in the 60x30 feet structure due to the heat and smoke. The loft subsequently caved in,” said Chief Fire Officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade P.S. Rahangdale.
Police and fire officials suspected that a short circuit might have caused the fire which subsequently caused gas cylinders to explode . There were two cylinders on the loft, which were recovered from the debris. Locals said the cylinders were used by the workers to cook their food as the preparation of farsan was done on a wooden stove.
The 12 labourers were taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar where they were declared brought dead. Officials with the disaster management unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed the deaths.
According to the police, they first prepared the street for the rescue operation. “The fire had spread rapidly and it was impossible to go in. The workers, who escaped, did not seem to be aware that there were more inside,” a police officer at the spot said.
The fire affected the electric wiring and installation, stocks, furniture and sheets. The police suspected that the presence of edible oil, wood, and other raw materials might have added fuel to the fire.
Only one exit
Locals said that the access to exit might have been blocked as most of the bodies were rescued from the bathroom in the rear of the workshop. Officials also said that only one exit might have contributed to the toll.
The ground floor covers an area of about 1,800 feet. Fire officials had to make a hole in the roof of the neighbouring workshop for hose pipes to douse fire in the rear portions.
“The area was very congested, but we managed to contain it to the shop,” Mr. Rahangdale said.
Meanwhile, BMC officials called the business illegal. “Neither the owner of the property nor the owner of the business has applied for any of the requisite permits to conduct such a business,” said Ajit Kumar Ambi, assistant municipal commissioner, L Ward.
Ramesh Bhanushali, proprietor of Bhanu Farsan shop, told the police said that he had all the requisite permissions, but the papers were destroyed in the blaze. He has been running his business for the past two-and-a-half years.
The compound has been around for over four decades, and locals said that earlier there used to be a shoe workshop on the premises.
