Fire in Kamala Mills’ Times Tower: Second mishap in 7 years; no lessons learnt

MUMBAI: A severe fire, categorised as Level-2 by Mumbai fire brigade officials, broke out in the ground-plus 14-storey Times Tower, in Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, at 6:36 am on Friday. No injuries or deaths were reported and it took approximately four hours to douse the fire.
It is believed aluminium composite panel (ACP) cladding in the electric duct — running from the third to seventh floor — where the fire originated, led to its spread.
Seven years ago, two restaurants in the same enclave – Mojo Bistro and 1Above – were gutted leading to 14 people losing their lives and many being injured. As they went about their task on Friday morning, fire officials said they faced challenges like 2017, as the entry points of the building were clogged with smoke.
This is the second major fire reported in the premises in seven years.
What seemed like Level-1 fire at 6:36 am, escalated to Level-2 by 6:47 am. Given the early hour, all offices in the commercial building were shut, but the fire caused significant damage to the property which has a glass facade.
The fire brigade deployed around 50 personnel with breathing apparatus sets to access the offices, which had to be forcibly opened. The fire originated from a short circuit in the electric duct and eventually spread to the sixth and eighth floors. Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer, said: “The ACP cladding, which is made of a plastic-like material that is highly inflammable, led to the fire’s spread. The glass facade of the building was also a hinderance to firefighting efforts.”
He said, the ACP cladding is often used for aesthetic purposes and as a protective cover for air conditioning units, which is a safety hazard.
“We had to fight the fire from inside,” he added. The operation was protracted as firemen had to break into several offices on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floors using hydraulic door openers.
Chisels and hammers were used to break the locks from the second to the 14th floor. “Entering smoke-filled offices and dousing the flames was challenging,” Ambulgekar said. Eight fire engines, water tankers and turntable ladders were deployed and the fire was contained by 10:10 am, although cooling operations continued.
According to sources, while short circuit is being considered as the primary cause of the fire, the matter is being investigated by the department.
People in nearby residential complexes were alarmed at the first sight of the flame from a distance. Vijayeta Basu, a resident of Lodha Park, a little over two kilometers from Kamala Mills, noticed the fire at around 6:12 am. “I had ordered food, and the delivery executive said he could not approach the premises because of the fire. It was intense and continued to spread for an hour,” said Basu, adding while it took “some time for fire brigade personnel to arrive; as soon as they did, they started hosing down the building”.
After the fire was brought under control, eight fire brigade teams remained onsite, using fire engines and turntable ladders to ensure the fire was completely put out.
Later in the morning, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray visited Kamala Mills and demanded an audit of the area. “I am told that there was a blast in the compressor that caused the fire. It’s the second big fire since 2017. I will write to the BMC commissioner to order a fire audit of Kamala Mills. A probe should be ordered to check if any extra construction was done and if fire exits were closed,” said Aaditya. The area falls under his assembly constituency, Worli.