7 dead in Mumbai building fire, more than 60 injured

Mumbai: At least seven people were killed and over 60 injured after a massive fire broke out at a seven-storey residential building at Goregaon in Mumbai. Of the injured, five are said to be in a very critical condition.

The fire started around 3 am at Jay Bhavani building in Goregaon West’s Azad nagar locality. Out of the seven people who were killed in the fire, two were minors, The injured were taken to two hospitals, HBT Hospital and Cooper Hospital, in Mumbai, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said, “The fire broke out at 3.01 am last night. Fire tenders reached there by 3.10 am. The fire had first spread on the two floors of the building. While none of the deceased died due to burn injuries, all the deaths occurred due to suffocation.”

According to the BMC, the level two fire incident was confined to the shops, scrap material, rags and vehicles in the stilt area whereas on the upper floors of the building, the flames consumed the staircase, doors, windows and several household structures. The fire covered the building from all sides and burned down shops, scrap material, cars, and other vehicles parked on the ground floor.

Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, said, “The Jay Bhavani SRA building in Goregaon was old and no firefighting system was available there.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who died. The Prime Minister also said the injured would be given Rs 50,000.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde also said the state government will provide monetary help of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased. Calling the incident ‘unfortunate,’ he expressed his condolences to those who died. “Those who are injured will be given treatment by the government,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also expressed grief over the incident. “Pained to know about the loss of lives in the fire incident at Goregaon, Mumbai. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and wishing speedy recovery to the injured ones,” Mr. Fadnavis wrote on X.