Mumbai: Ghatkopar chemical godown gutted in major fire

Fire at the chemical in Asalpha. (Express Photo/Vignesh Krishnamoorthy)

A major fire gutted a chemical godown on Khairani Road in Ghatkopar’s Asalpha village on Friday night. The fire brigade managed to bring the blaze under control after nearly 12 hours. No casualty was reported.

Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said an investigation had begun into whether any fire safety norms were flouted in the operation of the godown or in the storage of chemicals. While the fire was first reported around 11.30 pm on Friday, it was declared a ‘Level III’, or major, fire shortly before midnight. Eight fire engines and six jumbo tankers were rushed to the spot, along with an ambulance.

The fire brigade team was able to control the fire only by 11.25 am on Saturday, following which cooling operations began a little past noon. The fire broke out in the chemical godown, which was located on the ground floor of a building named Sheetal Apartments, and rapidly spread to adjoining godowns. “The fire burnt through aluminum, iron, wood, scrap material, paint, garments and chemicals. The godowns were shut when the fire broke out. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway,” Rahangdale told The Indian Express. “If the owners of these godowns are found to have been flouting fire safety norms, the station officer will be directed to file a police complaint,” he added.

The area around the site of the fire, Khairani Road, is a hub of commercial establishments tightly packed into congested lanes. Municipal officials posted in the administrative office of the L Ward, which covers Kurla and Saki Naka, have, in the past, said the large size of the ward made it difficult for them to conduct inspections on all units.

In the aftermath of a fire in a snacks factory in nearby Saki Naka, which killed 12 labourers last year, the civic body had begun a crackdown on unauthorised establishments in the vicinity. “To ensure that establishments (residential and commercial) are not violating any norms, officials need to visit and conduct inspections from time to time. However, doing so in L Ward, which is vast and densely populated, becomes a nightmare for us. We have already proposed splitting the ward into two administrative wards, but this has not yet been done. Meanwhile, a joint investigation on the cause of the fire at Sheetal Apartments is underway,” said a senior official from L Ward.

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