A 20-year-old British national, Evana Morrece, died in a fire that broke out on the premises of the School of Awakening, a spiritual healing centre in Bandra’s Bandstand area, on Thursday morning. Author and healer Sidra Jafri (38) suffered serious burns in the blaze.
Police officials said while the cause of the fire is being ascertained, the presence of a large amount of paint contributed to its spread. Ms. Jafri and Morrece, who were residing at Mon Repos, a building in the neighbourhood, along with their friend Surina Mangat, were believed to have been painting the flat and had decided to stay the night.
Early morning fire
Eyewitnesses said they noticed the fire raging at 7 a.m. on the sixth floor of Sea Springs Apartment, located diagonally opposite actor Shah Rukh Khan’s residence, Mannat. At 7.32 a.m., the incident was reported to the fire brigade.
The two women were rushed to Bhabha Hospital, where Morrece was pronounced dead on arrival and Ms. Jafri was moved to the ICU. Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. Pradeep A. Jhadav said, “Ms. Jafri was brought in unconscious and in an extremely critical condition as her lungs were filled with smoke. She also had serious burns. We then administered IV fluids and antibiotics and attended to the burn injuries.”
Though doctors suggested shifting the patient to National Burns Centre in Airoli, the step was not taken due to the severity of injuries. Ms. Jafri is the author of The Awakening: 9 Principles for finding the courage to change your life .
The School of Awakening was functioning from the 3BHK flat and workshops and online classes were conducted from its premises.
Inflammable material
Senior police officer Vijayalaxmi Hiremath said, “The cause of the fire is not yet known. The forensic team and the fire brigade are both conducting their investigations. However, it can be said that the fire started in the hall and flammable material in the living room led to it spreading.”
With no next of kin present in the country, the Mumbai Police notified the British Embassy about the death of Morrece.
