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Aarush
Kamal Mills Fire Traged
How the nightmare came true in the city of dreams?
Rahul Jadhav, Director – Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd.
The Kamala Mills Fire was a horrific incident in which at least 15 people were killed and as many injured after a major fire engulfed a building in Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel on December 29, 2017. The fire broke out shortly after midnight on the third floor of the four-storeyed building on Senapati Bapat Marg, a commercial hub of the city.
The flying embers from illegal hookah being served at Mojo’s Bistro was the apparent cause of the massive fire in the Kamala Mills compound that claimed 14 lives in this unfortunate incident. Reportedly, the fire probably started at Mojo’s and spread to the adjacent rooftop pub “1 Above”. The blaze spread very rapidly to the unauthorised and highly combustible thatched roof of 1Above, where “no permission” was issued.
During the investigation of the incident, it was also revealed from most of the eye witnesses that hookah was served at Mojo’s restaurant at the time of fire!!! There is every possibility that during removal of lighted charcoal from the segree (stove) and or transferring it into Hookah or during the fanning of the charcoal the flying burning embers came in contact with the combustible curtains/ decorative material nearby and started the fire.
The owners of both Mojo’s Bristo and 1Above committed flagrant violations in converting the entire open terrace into two full fledged restaurants divided by a partition of highly combustible material. One of the patrons of the Mojo’s Bristo, in a video, showed how the bar tenders were performing fire play / games with glass bottles of alcohol in hand. It appeared to us from the video that it was a dargerous game being played especially when Hookah was being served with the help of a char-coal burning segree, on an open terrace with inflammable material all around. All these “games of fire” were being played in the premises, which was not fire protected!!!
The investigating officers also observed that the Mill land owner breached two fire NOCs and committed serious violations of the modified DCR by illegally obtaining FSI for commercial purposes, in excess of the permissible 2O% of the total FSI and that the two restaurant owners also committed breaches of conditions in building permissions. When the fire broke out, none of the management/security/staff personnel from Mojo’s Bistro or 1Above raised an alarm to intimate the Fire Brigade. The intimation was received from the security guard, causing delay.
Meanwhile, fire spread swiftly due to a large stock of combustible materials like bamboos, plywood sheets, cotton and nylon cloth, plastic and tarpaulin sheets, draught beer kegs, and hookah and related materials. The bamboo frame shed above Mojo’s Bistro had fallen onto the roof of 1Above.
The passage to the east of the fire exit was used to store beer kegs, which were also on fire when the first fighters arrived at the scene. The fixed fire system of the building was not working, and encroachments on fire escape balconies on all floors blocked the route towards the staircases.
Most of the victims were trapped in the toilet of the pub and died of suffocation, the police had said earlier. The report also says that the fact that one of the security personnel of 1Above was among the deceased shows that even the staff was unaware of emergency exits.
It’s indeed high time! Buildings in metro cities and for that matter everywhere in the world should install fire sprinklers and alarm systems. The Fire Department should conduct regular audits and surprise checks if these are in working order. Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd offers you end-to-end solutions and services for all your needs regarding fire safety.
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