MTNL blaze: No fire alarm, staff only heard colleagues' scream

Gross negligence was written all over the fire that broke out at Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limiteds MTNL west zone office at Bandra West at 3 pm on Monday While fortunately no one was hurt survivors spoke of how not a single fire alarm in the building was working and that they were alerted only by the screams of their colleagues after which most took refuge on the terrace of the buildingChief Fire Officer PS Rahangdale confirmed that the firefighting system in the building was not in working condition The Fire Brigade had rushed to help in the second serious fire incident in the city just a day after the blaze at Churchill Chambers that killed a person on Sunday Its personnel were hailed by everyone at the spot as they rescued 84 people from the ground plus ninestorey buildingStaff members weep in relief after being rescued from the inferno at the MTNL building in Bandra West on Monday afternoon PicPradeep Dhivar The fire department gave the incident a level IV call According to the Standard Operating Procedure this saw 12 fire engines one quick response vehicle seven water tankers three turntable ladders three breathing apparatus vans and the new robot vehicle were brought in There were also 14 ambulances at the spot It was the first incident in the city where the robot vehicle was used to help douse the blazeAlso ReadBandra MTNL fire No casualties reported around 100 rescuedHeavy smoke spreadsThe heavy smoke from the fire had even reached Bandra station more than one km away Commuters were seen covering their faces while walking on SV road The fire engulfed the buildings floors from the second to the fifth and is feared to have spread due to optical fibre cables that released a lot of smoke This also made it difficult for firemen to fight the blaze There were many electrical cables switches combustible materials that caused the smoke to spread and release a lot of carbon dioxideFiremen reach out to those trapped inside the building PicShadab Khan While no one among those rescued was injured a fireman sustained minor injuries and was treated at the site Another fireman Sagar Datta Salve 25 complained of suffocation and was admitted in the hospital His condition is stable said a Disaster Management Cell officialNo fire alarm only screamsLaxmi Chaube a staffer from the billing department who was on the sixth floor realised that the lift was not working She said I then took the stairs to go down but when I reached the fifth floor thick smoke enveloped the staircase making it impossible for me to see I immediately started going upwards alerted a few more people on my way and stood on the terrace for almost two hours until I was rescued with a ladder When asked if she heard a fire alarm she said she only heard the screams of people and realised there was a fireFire Brigade personnel rescue a trapped womanAnother employee Shrikant Nibade said There was a short circuit and the fire broke out around 245300 pm on the second floor Raja Rahbar Khan exmunicipal councillor of Bandra insisted that a working fire alarm system was not in place He said I am sure the fire system in the building was not functioning as there is no maintenance in the buildingDefunct firefighting systemCFO Rahangdale said there were many combustible materials due to which the fire spread and floors from the second to the fifth were engulfed He said It had become difficult for us to enter the premises due to the thick smoke but my firemen have done a good job throughout We rescued 70 odd people from the terrace and around 14 people from various floors There are no missing complaints but we are now carrying out a search operation The cause of the fire is under investigationSome of those trapped screamed and waved out to get the attention of Fire Brigade personnel PicsShadab KhanAt the time of going to press Rahangdale said added that a head count was being taken though MTNL authorities had said no person was missing About 150 officers and men were involved in the firefighting operation About 160 breathing apparatus sets were used It is one of the biggest successful firefighting and rescue operations in recent times in India said RahangdaleBMC speakAssistant Municipal Commissioner of H west ward Sharad Ughade said No casualty was reported but the search operation is still going on and 84 people were saved We will enquire why the fire alarms werent working We will carry out an audit of the firefighting systemPolice had a tough time keeping onlookers away PicPradeep Dhivar84No of people rescued in all150No of firemen involved in the rescue operationAn injured Fire Brigade officer being treated at the spot PicDatta KumbharRobot officer shinesCFO PS Rahangdale was all praise for the robot vehicle which was used for the first time in the city However he said it was not successful on the first attempt as it did not get much space to turn on the first floor But on the second attempt in the back of the building where human intervention was difficult the robot was of great help and functioned for over one and half hour he saidA fire robot is a remotecontrolled machine used for firefighting operations when it is dangerous for fireman to venture insideIt can be used for extinguishing the fire in situations like 2611 dilapidated buildings multilevel basement chemical plant fires etcThe machine sprays water and has an adjustable pressureIt is capable of spraying water up to 55 metres approximately 30storeys highIt can also hold out in temperatures that go up to 700 centigradeIt can reportedly release 3800 litres of water every minuteIt was first used at Bandras MTNL office fireAlso ReadWatch video Fire at MTNL building in Bandra several feared trappedCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates