Mumbai: Massive blaze in Bandra mall takes 13 hours to contain; 2 firefighters hurt

The Link Square Mall, the three-storey building where the fire broke out, on Linking Road in Bandra West on April 29. Pics/Atul Kamble

A glass facade proved a hindrance for firefighters yet again after a fire broke out at the Link Square Mall in Bandra West early on Tuesday morning. According to Mumbai Fire Brigade officials, the alarm wasn't raised until the situation got serious, as flames and smoke had gone undetected by those outside the building.

According to the fire brigade, the blaze inside the mall - which comprises three basements and three storeys and houses 198 stores, including an electronics goods showroom - was reported at 4.11 am. It is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. "When our first team reached the spot, they observed that dense smoke was trapped inside the building. So, there is a possibility that fire had broken out much earlier but went undetected because of the building's glass façade," a fire brigade official who was at the spot told mid-day.

After 13 hours of firefighting, around 5.25 pm, the fire was contained. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries in the line of duty. According to Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar, the building's internal firefighting system was not working, and the blaze broke out in one of the basements and spread via the ventilation duct. "The sprinklers needed to work automatically, but they had to be operated manually. We will conduct and inquiry," he said.

"Because of the building's glass façade, the fire was detected only after it had spread. The overwhelming amount of smoke and heat inside the mall made it challenging to even set foot inside the building. This was why our team was not able to reach the source immediately," an official added.

According to the official, all the shops within the building were damaged and the fire was confined to clothes, electronic gadgets, equipment, storage material and plastic. "The fire was noticed after the flames reached the top floor. We brought the situation under control on this floor by 8 am. But, flames were still spreading from the basement via the ventilation shaft," a fire brigade official said.

As the blaze was classified as a Level IV (major) fire, an alert was sent to all fire stations in the city, and machinery was deployed from them. According to officials, around 10 lakh litres of water were used to douse the flames while at least 13 fire engines and other firefighting vehicles were at the spot, and two robots were pressed into service. Senior officials such as CFO Ambulgekar and the deputy chief fire officer, more than 150 firemen and technical staff and two National Disaster Relief Force teams were also present.

"A robot used to put out the blaze in the basement. It was doing a good job, but after some time, something collapsed on it, preventing us from operating it. So, it couldn't be used." However, Ambulgekar denied that a robot had stopped functioning, claiming, "The first two hours of firefighting in the basement were done by the robots. After that, when the temperature dropped, we placed a water line for firefighters."

Neighbours' accounts

Dhanbahadur Singh, watchman of the May Queen building, situated next to the mall, said, "I saw smoke coming from the mall around 4 am. The smoke was so dense, it was difficult to get around the building. Soon, fire brigade vehicles started arriving at the spot. Later, a fire-fighter visited our building and asked all residents to vacate the premises as a precautionary measure.

A robot deployed to douse the fire

Roma Ahuja, a senior citizen and resident of the May Queen, said, "I woke up around 4 am after feeling suffocated. I couldn't tell what was happening. I eventually called the watchman, and he told us that the neighbourhood mall had caught fire. Later, some fire brigade people came and told us to come out of our building. When we did so, we could see that the area was engulfed in dense smoke and a foul smell."

According to an employee of one of the Link Square Mall's shops, about 2500 to 3000 people visit the shopping centre on weekdays, while the footfall is as high as 12,000 on weekends. The shopping centre was built by the late former MLA and NCP leader Baba Siddique and is owned by his family.

Roma Ahuja, a resident of the May Queen; (right) Mahiwal Sisodia, who ran four mobile accessories shops on the mall's second floor

‘I've lost everything'

Mahiwal Sisodia, who ran four mobile accessories shops on the second floor of the mall, said, "I started operations around 12 years ago. Everything I had earned over a decade was lost in a few hours. All my goods have been gutted. There were a few thousand rupees in a locker, but I'm not sure this was spared. I rushed to the spot immediately after receiving a call from the watchman of the building around 4 am, only to find I had lost everything. I need to pay a home loan worth Rs 80,000. I don't know how I will manage. I will have to start from scratch now."

Robotech

One can operate robots used by the fire brigade from 1 km away, and they can dispel 3000 litres of water per minute. Officials claim these robots can be used even in temperatures as high as 700 degrees Celsius. Each robot has four cameras, one of which can capture thermal images. The technology was introduced in 2018.