Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Powai building where Saturday's fire incident killed seven and left over two dozen injured had its electrical duct open and did not have adequate warning signals, said Mumbai Fire services officers.
City's acting fire chief P.S. Rahangdale said further probe into the fire tragedy was on.
“Open duct caused the gases to come in contact with the wiring. Even though electrical supply was switched off, it could have had disastrous consequences. The building also did not have proper emergency lights to help one find direction amid thick smoke,” he said adding that the fire extinguishers, hydrants and riser system worked perfectly.
Another fire officer said that till Sunday, it was not clear whether the fire alarm went off and was also a part of investigations.
Mr. Rahangdale added though the sprinkler system was not present, Mr. Rahangdale said it was not mandatory for buildings constructed before 2008 such as the Lake Home Buildings.
“We are checking, if there were other lapses. If indeed, non adherence to the fire safety norms are found, those found responsible shall face provisions of Maharashtra Fire Safety Act,” said Mr. Rahangdale.
The fire started on the 14th floor of the building at a flat owned by one Vidya Sunderraj. The smoke emitted found its way to the higher floors and lifts stuck on the 14th floor.
Of the three lifts, stuck on the 14th floor, two had four people trapped in between them and the smoke proved fatal for all. One of the lifts, which had three bodies, was pushed upwards (21st floor) by a counterweight mechanism, said the acting fire chief.
A fifth person died on the passage on the same floor while two more on other floors of the building.
Both the fire department and some of the building residents alleged that some families using a part of the approach road as parking space caused hindrance to the smooth movement of fire fighting equipment. Even on Sunday, these vehicles remained parked on the road with makeshift chain barriers demarcating the parking area from the rest of the road, effectively eating up its width.
Mr. Rahangdale said he would propose an external evacuation system for high rises which is a portable lift/ladder like structure that can be called to any floor from the terrace and evacuate those trapped in the intermediate floors in high rises. The technology was not common in India but is used in countries such as Israel, he said.
