A 16-year-old boy died after a fire broke out in a shop storing firecrackers in Malvani, Malad West, on Monday night, with an explosion causing the shop’s slab to collapse and trapping him inside.
The victim was identified as Shanwaz Niyaz Khan. The fire was reported at around 9.56 pm at a ground-floor shop near Gate No. 8 on Abdul Hamid Marg. The incident occurred in a densely built urban neighbourhood where commercial premises operate close to homes and public movement, making the storage and handling of combustible material a critical safety concern.
According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the blaze was confined to firecrackers, electrical wiring and installations spread across an area measuring approximately 20 feet by 30 feet. The firecracker stock exploded during the incident, after which the shop’s slab collapsed.
A boy had been reported missing after the fire. He was subsequently found inside the shop with his body charred. Khan was taken to Shatabdi Hospital in a private ambulance, where doctors declared him brought dead. The report stated that he had suffered 100% burns.
The incident also highlights the immediate risks created when firecrackers are stored alongside electrical wiring and installations inside a small commercial unit. In this case, the fire was contained to the shop’s contents and installations, but the explosion and structural collapse turned the incident into a fatal entrapment. The available account does not establish the cause of the fire or provide details about the shop’s permissions, licensing or compliance status.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade reported that the fire was extinguished by 10.36 pm, around 40 minutes after it was first reported. The account does not include further details on any investigation, action by other civic authorities or the next steps concerning the premises.
