Twin explosions in two flats at Andheri’s Yari Road left three people injured on Sunday morning. The intensity of the blasts, one of an LPG cylinder and another of an air conditioner, was such that the debris flew across the street. Alert residents turned off the electricity, removed gas cylinders and used extinguishers to douse the fire.
Around 11.15 a.m. on Sunday, a loud explosion shook Kavita Apartment in Masjid Chowk. The explosion, followed by smoke and flames on the fourth floor, led to chaos, as residents ran out of the building. Within minutes, there was a second explosion.
A fire brigade team reached the spot around 11.44 a.m, with two fire engines, two tankers and one quick response vehicle. The level 0 (minor) blaze was extinguished by firemen using two hoses. Of the three injured, two were rescued before the firefighters’ arrival.
The seven-story building was constructed in 1984. The fire broke out in flats 403 and 404 on the fourth floor. However, it could not be confirmed exactly where it originated. The explosion destroyed the common wall between the flats, and equipment like fridge, television and furniture.
Kavita building at Yari Road in Andheri, where the blasts occurred on Sunday.
Flat 403 is owned by an NRI, who has rented it to two men. One of the tenants, Amandeep Singh (27), was injured, but let go after treatment.
Flat 404 is owned by a Manisha Raj, who lives with her husband Deep Desai, two sons and two nephews. Ms. Raj was not at home, but her husband and children were. Her son Krish Raj (14) said, “We were sleeping when suddenly a lot of debris fell on us. My brother and I ran out, then my brother went back in to bring our father out. Our father is in hospital, and mother is on the way to Mumbai.”
Mr. Desai has suffered 30-35% burns, and is admitted to Cooper Hospital.
Nozer Jamadar, a resident of flat 402, said, “At first, I thought a neighbouring under-construction building had collapsed. When I came out, I realised the noise came from my own building. The door to 404 was jammed, and we had to break it open for them to come out.”
Mystery over hurt woman
The third injured person, Nilima Rawan (60), has also been admitted to Cooper Hospital. She is not a resident of the building, and it is not clear what she was doing at the site. It is possible she was a passerby.
An employee of Cooper Hospital said, “No relatives have come to claim her. She is conscious, but since she can only converse in Telugu, we’re unable to tell what she’s saying.”
Residents take over
Residents complained of the difficulty in alerting the fire brigade, with some saying there was no response to the 101 helpline. Amjad Hussain, society secretary and resident of flat 503, said, “I called the fire brigade, police and ambulance. But the fire brigade took 45 minutes to arrive. This area does not have a fire station, and engines have to come from Andheri station or Marol. And if it weren’t a Sunday, there would have been much more traffic.”
Ajit Patil, society treasurer, said a “disintegrated LPG cylinder” in one of the flats seems to have exploded. “The second blast seems to be that of the AC unit, as the AC was flung right across the street. But flat 404’s cylinder was in the bedroom, so how did it burst? The kitchen has not suffered much damage and the bedroom has faced the most. Whereas in the neighbouring flat, the kitchen and bedroom have suffered heavy damage, whereas the AC, though it flew out, had its compressor intact,” he said.
Mr. Patil and other residents and volunteers helped in evacuation. “We turned off the power to ensure nobody used the lift. We also turned off gas supply. We realised a senior citizen on the 7th floor might get stuck, and we carried her down,” Mr. Patil said.
Rashmi Kaur, a relative of Ms. Raj, said, “They have been living here for more than 20 years. I rushed here as Manisha is not in town. Deep is in a lot of pain.” Bhaumik Desai, Mr. Desai’s cousin, said, “We got here as soon as possible but still don’t know what happened. His parents are on their way to the hospital from Surat. While Deep is conscious, he is unable to speak because of his injuries.”
The building had fire extinguishers on each floor, but no full-fledged firefighting equipment since it is an old building. A.A. Bhoi, station officer, Andheri fire station, said, “We will check if they had done a fire audit. One gas cylinder exploded and the AC seems to have caught fire. We doused the remaining fire in minutes.”
Sudhakar Shirsat, police inspector on duty at Versova police station, said, “The last we heard was that it was a cylinder blast. No case has been registered, but inquiries will be done.”
