Mumbai: Seven members of the same family, including three minors, were killed in a fire that broke out early Sunday in a residential building at Chembur in Mumbai. Chief minister Eknath Shinde has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs five lakh to the kin of the deceased.
According to the fire officials, the fire broke out at 5.20 am at the ground floor of a two-storey building along KN Gaikwad Marg in Chembur. The entire ground-plus-two storey chawl was home to the Guptas, who lived as a joint family. The ground floor housed a grocery shop, while the family members stayed on the upper floors.
When the fire broke out, the local residents and neighbours rushed to the spot, carrying water in buckets and attempting to break the walls as well as the tin roof to rescue the trapped members. The injured were rushed to the hospital after the fire with severe burns but eventually succumbed to injuries.
The deceased have been identified as Presi Prem Gupta (7), Manju Prem Gupta (30), Anita Dharamdev Gupta (39), Prem Chediram Gupta (30) and Narendra Gupta (10), Vidhi Chediram Gupta (15) and Gita Devi Dharamdev Gupta (60). Two members who survived the blaze include the over 70-year-old Chedilal Gupta and his eldest son, Dharamdev Gupta.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) deployed four fire engines alongside two jumbo tankers to douse the flames. According to BMC officials, the flames were confined to the electrical installation and wiring on the ground floor as well as household items and electrical installation elsewhere.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site and met the aggrieved members of the family and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased. The CM also assured that the injured would be treated at government expense. Shinde also called for a high-level probe to determine the cause of the fire and review measures to prevent such incidents. “If the slum rehabilitation work in this area was stalled, a meeting will be convened to take appropriate decisions,” he said.
Shinde was joined by Union minister of social justice Ramdas Athawale, Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and former MP Rahul Shewale.
According to preliminary information, the cause of fire was identified as a short circuit near the electrical wiring on the ground floor. Officials termed it as a ‘level one’ fire as the damage was confined to electric wiring and installations in the shop.
However, an official from the MFB said that the cause of the fire is yet to be officially ascertained, with the investigation still underway. “It was an informally built structure with no internal fire fighting system. Our committee will conduct the investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire,” the official said.
