A 16-year-old boy died after an explosion caused the slab of a firecracker-storing shop to collapse and triggered a fire in Malvani, Malad, on Monday night, civic officials said. The blaze broke out at 9.56 pm at a ground-floor shop on Abdul Hamid Marg and was extinguished by 10.36 pm, according to the fire brigade.
The fire was confined to firecrackers, electrical wiring and installations spread across an area of about 20 by 30 feet inside the shop, officials said. A civic official said the shop’s slab collapsed following the explosion and that a blaze erupted soon afterwards.
A boy was reported missing after the incident and was later found inside the shop, the official said. The deceased was identified as Shanwaz Niyaz Khan and had suffered 100 per cent burns, according to the civic authorities.
The incident has drawn attention to the risks associated with storing and handling firecrackers in densely occupied neighbourhoods. The shop was located on the ground floor of a building along Abdul Hamid Marg, but the supplied report did not provide details on the shop’s permissions, storage arrangements or whether any safety violations had been recorded before the fire.
The fatal blaze occurred amid reports of firecracker use beyond Mumbai’s 10 pm deadline. Awaaz Foundation, which monitored noise levels and air quality across the city, said its members recorded firecracker activity between 8 pm and 11.15 pm on Lakshmi Pujan day. Monitoring locations included Carter Road, Bandra, Mahim, Dadar, Shivaji Park, Prabhadevi, Worli, Haji Ali, Marine Drive, Cuffe Parade and Colaba.
According to the foundation, former firecracker hotspots such as Marine Drive and Shivaji Park saw fewer crackers this year, while activity was more sporadic and spread across neighbourhoods. However, its members reported firecrackers being burst at Cuffe Parade and Carter Road around 11.15 pm despite police presence. Other neighbourhoods also recorded use beyond the deadline, with police intervening in some cases.
The foundation cited earlier readings to illustrate the city’s firecracker and noise exposure. In 2023, Marine Drive recorded noise levels of 82.117 decibels between 9 pm and 11.25 pm, Shivaji Park recorded 99 decibels at 7.45 pm and 95 decibels at 11.45 pm, while Carter Road recorded 72.85 decibels at 7 pm.
Awaaz Foundation has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner, flagging the reported violations and seeking stricter enforcement. The civic and police authorities have not provided further details in the supplied report on the investigation into the Malvani shop fire or any action against the premises.
