Mumbai: Bandra mall blaze cooled, but chaos still hot

During firefighting operations, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) encountered a rare ‘mushroom effect’—a phenomenon caused by poor ventilation. Pic/Shadab Khan

Cooling operations at the fire-ravaged Link Square Mall in Bandra West are still ongoing and will be followed by a structural audit conducted by a private agency. Only after the audit and necessary repairs will the mall be certified for reopening - a process that could take weeks or even months, officials said. Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West Ward, Dinesh Pallewad, confirmed, "Cooling operations are still underway. After that, the police will conduct a panchnama."

Civic officials explained that given the scale of the fire and damage, a detailed structural audit is mandatory. "The damage is significant and requires restoration. It's difficult to predict when the mall can reopen," said a civic official. During firefighting operations, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) encountered a rare ‘mushroom effect' - a phenomenon caused by poor ventilation.

The blaze, which broke out early Tuesday morning, raged across 8000 to 10,000 square feet, including the basement and extending to the mall's closed dome roof. According to the MFB records, the fire was first reported at 3.58 am on Tuesday. The first team arrived at 4.17 am and immediately requested more resources due to the intense smoke and heat.

By 4.49 am, reinforcements, including jumbo tankers, a turntable ladder, JCBs, and two firefighting robots, were deployed. Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar reached the site by 5.11 am, and the blaze was escalated to Level 4 by 6.25 am. "The mall had no ventilation on the upper floors or basement. It also had a closed ceiling, and the glass façade trapped the heat and smoke," a senior MFB official said.

Explaining the ‘mushroom effect', officials said it occurs when a fire breaks out in a confined space and the heat and smoke cannot escape. When the fire rises, it spreads horizontally along the ceiling, much like a mushroom cap. This results in intense heat, reduced visibility, and extreme difficulty in firefighting and rescue. The fire was finally extinguished after 21 hours, at 1.52 am on Wednesday. Cooling operations continued well into Wednesday evening.

An MFB official confirmed, "Once the cooling operations are over, we will inspect the site, identify lapses, and prepare a detailed report. We will also review the building's permissions and documentation." The massive operation involved 53 firefighting vehicles, including 19 fire engines, 14 jumbo tankers, six boom monitors (capable of spraying water up to 16 metres high), 76 officers, and 273 fire personnel.