A fire broke out at Runwal Elegante in Lokhandwala, Andheri West, on Saturday night
Mumbai: A 46-year-old lift operator, Dhanpat Mahatu, died of suffocation caused by smoke inhalation after a fire erupted in a 17th-floor flat of Runwal Elegante, a highrise residential complex in Andheri Lokhandwala, on Saturday around 9.45pm.
“Our immediate concern was to ensure that firefighters reached the building as quickly as possible, not to answer additional questions,” he said. Local BJP corporator Rupesh Sawarkar said: “The senior citizen was being brought downstairs when I reached the spot, but the fire brigade was yet to arrive. Maini alleged there was a delay in the fire brigade reaching the building and that the ladder brought by the personnel could not reach the 17th floor. He also alleged that residents who called the fire brigade were asked which police station had jurisdiction over the building — information they did not have at the time. There is a BMC parking lot adjoining the building. Ideally, a fire tender should be stationed there, especially since the locality does not have a fire station. I have been demanding one, given the rapid growth in the area’s population.”.
Andheri fire station officer Ravi Pawade said the family members had stepped out after performing puja, leaving an elderly woman and the domestic help behind. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to any of the adjoining flats considering each floor of the building has four flats,” a resident said. Even as the exact cause of the blaze is being investigated, preliminary information suggested that it may have originated in the flat’s puja room. “The senior citizen, who has limited mobility, was safely brought downstairs by the maid before our teams arrived. The building’s fire-fighting system was operational and aided our firefighting operations,” he added. The entire C wing was evacuated as a precaution, leaving residents to make alternative arrangements for the night. “C wing is centrally located and the affected flat faces the road.
1701, was doused within an hour.
Mahatu was rescued from the lobby and rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was declared “brought dead” at 3.54am. The fire, which was confined to the electric installations and household articles in C wing’s flat no.