A Kandivli fire gutted a first-floor flat and three ground-floor shops in Thakur Village early on Tuesday after a stray firecracker reportedly landed on inflammable material, while the fire station next to the building had no firefighting vehicle available at the time.
The blaze broke out at Helios building in Kandivli East and rapidly spread from a shop to the flat above it, where financial consultant Tejas Sheth was sleeping with his wife and their six-year-old twin daughters. The family escaped after a resident of the opposite building repeatedly rang their doorbell and warned them about the fire.
The fire station next to Helios building did not have a fire engine available when the emergency began. The firefighting vehicle that eventually reached the site came from Malad West, according to the report. Local MLA Prakash Surve said he was told that the vehicle was unavailable because of a sharp increase in fire calls that day.
The unidentified resident from Evershine Crown first tried to alert the family through the building’s closed gate. He then spoke to a security guard, confirmed that a family lived in the flat above the affected corner shop and rushed to the residence. Security staff also alerted other residents to evacuate at around 2 am.
Sheth said he woke after hearing the repeated ringing. He left with one daughter and his wife, but realised at the doorway that their other daughter was still in the bedroom. He returned to collect her and noticed that the window glass of the rented flat had begun cracking from the heat as flames spread into the home.
Residents of Evershine Crown used the firefighting equipment available in their own building to help contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further. Natraj Shetty, whose rented office was among the premises destroyed, said most of the remaining building was unaffected because of those efforts.
Sheth and his family moved to his parents’ nearby home after their flat was completely gutted. He said the family escaped by about a minute and was searching for the person who had alerted them so he could thank him.
Surve said the Thakur Village fire station was located directly next to the affected building but had no engine stationed there when the fire broke out. He said he had asked the Chief Fire Officer to ensure that at least one firefighting vehicle remained available at the station to respond to emergencies in the Magathane-Kandivli area.
