Mumbai: 12 die in Sakinaka farsan shop blaze

Mumbai: A lethal fire broke out in a ‘farsan’ eatery-cum-workshop at Sakinaka on Monday at 4.17 am, killing 12 people and leaving one person, Akhilesh Tiwari, seriously burnt. The shop in Makaria Compound on Khairani Road was spread in a 16,000 sq. feet area. The fire spread in no time, possibly due to the uninsulated electric wiring and the huge stock of eatables and furniture stacked inside the shop. Eventually, it led to the collapse of the loft, trapping the workers under the debris, civic official said.

The shop was allegedly operating without a proper licence. According to Ajit Kumar Ambi, the Assistant Commissioner of BMC of the Kurla civic ward, it seemed no application had been made by the owner of the structure, nor the occupant Bhanushali who was running the farsan workshop, for a licence. So, the corporation was unaware of the activity that was on at the place of mishap.

He further added the ‘farsan’ workshop neither had a cooking, nor storage licence; in fact, it had stored flammable items like kerosene, oil, gas cylinders etc. Also, during the site inspection, it was observed that there was a loft structure where the burnt bodies were found. Whether the requisite permission had been taken for the loft construction is also still to be ascertained.

According to Tushar Pawar, who had a lucky escape along with her partially visually impaired mother, they were the first ones to come out of the room. Pawar said, “The fire broke out in the mid-section of the single-storey structure housing the workshop. Hence, those who were inside, mostly workers, could not come out. We heard a loud blast and immediately rushed outside; we saw the fire and alerted others, saving around six lives, and also called the fire service for help.”

According to Prabhat Rhanagdale, the Chief Fire Officer, prima facie evidence suggests that there was no fire compliance equipment in the factory. “The officials have been asked to file a detail investigative report. They have already been asked to file a criminal case against the owner and the occupants,” said Rahangdale.

Tiwari, the survivor, is admitted at Rajawadi civic Hospital in Ghatkopar.