Mumbai: The Mumbai Fire Brigade is investigating whether the fire that broke out in the B wing of the six-storey Poonam Chambers in Worli on Dec 15 may have started earlier and gone unnoticed. The blaze damaged large portions of the second floor of the structure; fortunately, no one was injured.
The incident took place around 11.39 am at the Rajashree Production Studio, spanning approximately 12,000–13,000 sq ft, said BMC.
A senior fire brigade officer told TOI that given the building’s glass façade, smouldering could have begun even a day before the blaze came to light in a small way but remained undetected, as the commercial structure was shut over the weekend. “When videos of the fire started making the rounds, we realised that this blaze could have started earlier than when we were informed about it. One of the major drawbacks of glass façade buildings is that smoke does not have an outlet to escape, which allows smouldering to build up unnoticed,” the official explained.
Meanwhile, officials are still inspecting the building for any lacunas in the firefighting system and said that a notice will be issued. “We are also verifying whether the firefighting mechanisms were set to auto mode. Since staff presence is limited on weekends, it is mandatory for such systems to be on auto mode to activate automatically during emergencies,” said an official.
In the aftermath of the blaze, RTI activist Anil Galgali has raised questions about the land’s usage. He alleged that the plot on which Poonam Chambers stands has been utilised unauthorisedly. According to Galgali, permission for its use was granted only after entering into a lease agreement with a clear condition: a garden was to be developed on the site, which he says never came up, and instead, an unauthorised garage was built. BMC officials have said that the matter is under investigation, and further details will emerge as the same progresses.
Jay Gupta, who has his personal office in the structure, said there were repairs being carried out on the first floor of the building. “The fire system was non-operational, including the fire sprinklers and water pipes, which failed to function as no water was released,” said Gupta.
