Kothari Mansion, Fore June 10th

07th December 2018

The fire reached level IV at around 6am and around 6:43am the south side of the building collapsed injuring two minor firefighters operating the turntable ladder. A fire engine and a special appliance were also damaged due to the sudden collapse.

The 80-year-old building was vacant at the time of the incident and the South portion of it collapsed during the firefighting operations. According to officials of Mumbai Fire Brigade, a serious tragedy was averted as a group of firemen involved in firefighting operation had moved to a safe distance just a minute before the portion of the building had collapsed on the two fire vehicles where they were standing.

It was a C-1 category (extremely dilapidated/dangerous) Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) cessed building. The housing regulatory body had vacated the premises two years ago. Such (C1) buildings need to be vacated and demolished for reconstruction. There is no clarity why MHADA failed to demolish the dangerous structure in the last two years, putting lives of thousands of pedestrians in danger. Many passerby and hawkers use the gap between the pillars of the building’s ground floor as a temporary footpath.

“The MHADA, it seems had put the onus of getting the building demolished on the owners (NOC holders) of the building Nagraj Jain and others. The building had wooden propping on all the floors, leading to the fire spreading rapidly across all the floors,” said a senior BMC official.

While no casualty was reported, two firemen on the turntable ladder (TTL) sustained minor injuries in the incident and were rushed to a hospital. Fire officials said that no one was trapped inside the building as the structure was vacated.

Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) had put 16 fire engines into firefighting operation along with 150 labourers. They managed to control the fire after four hours of struggle.

Source: The Indian Express