Mumbai: A day after a fire was reported in Jer Bai Wadia Hospital for children in Parel, senior officials from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) said they will initiate a detailed investigation to ascertain the cause of the blaze. The report would be submitted within seven days, officials said.
On August 5, a level-2 blaze erupted in the hospital, which eventually spread to the first and second floors of the building. Chief Fire Officer, Hemant Parab, on Saturday said that the in-built firefighting system in the hospital was operational, which helped the MFB officials to control the fire at an early stage.
“The inbuilt fire system and the prompt action taken by the doctors and staffers helped in averting any casualty. The inside of the building was filled with smoke due to which firefighters had to struggle a lot. If the medical staffers didn’t show such promptness, then there could be loss of lives,” Parab told HT on Saturday.
He said that preliminary findings show that the fire might have originated from the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) backup room on the first floor, however, the brigade will carry out a detailed investigation to ascertain the cause.
“We will be talking to eyewitnesses and other people to get more clarity. UPS rooms are present everywhere and we may chalk out specific regulations on maintenance of these rooms as well based on our findings,” Parab said.
“Besides this, we will also direct the fire stations to carry out a preliminary survey in the nursing homes and hospitals to prevent such incidents in future,” he said.
Meanwhile, one fireman was injured during a firefighting operation at a scrapyard in Reti Bunder near Mahindra and Mahindra Company at Sewree.
On Saturday afternoon, a level-one fire was reported from the scrapyard following which three firefighting engines and one six jumbo tankers were pressed into operation. According to the Disaster Control Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the fire had originated in a ground-plus structure in the scrapyard. Fire officials said that the structure was a scrap shop.
The officials said that as many as 20 hutments were gutted in the fire.
“The entire plot was a scrapyard and filled with items like wooden furniture, clothes, LPG cylinders and other flammable objects. The presence of things like this intensified the flame. However, there was no loss of lives since the place was a scrapyard,” said Hemant Parab, Chief Fire Officer. During the operation, Santosh Muntode, a fireman sustained minor injuries and was sent to nearby Saibaba Hospital for treatment.
Former corporator from this area, Yousuf Ali stated that fire incidents are a regular occurrence in the scrapyard because of the presence of flammable objects like Petrol and Kerosene. “We have informed the local collector’s office and the BMC to evict all the illegal structures from this area,” Ali said.