Faulty wiring led to fire in Crystal tower: MFB
The lift lobby area was also covered with interior decorative combustible material and hence was entirely gutted.
Mumbai: Mumbai Fire Brigade’s (MFB) report has ascertained defective electric circuit as the cause of the fire in Crystal Tower, in which four people were killed. The fire erupted due to a spark occurred in the electric installations, which came in contact with combustible materials nearby, said the report.
Four people including an elderly woman were killed and 21 were injured in a major fire that broke out in the Crystal Tower, a residential high-rise building at Hindmata, Parel, on August 22. The building, with no occupation certificate (OC), was illegal and its fire fighting system of the building was also not found to be in working condition.
According to the report prepared by the MFB, electrical cables laid down from the shaft along the wall were not sealed at each floor level and hence fire rapidly spread through the shaft. In addition to this, the electrical cable and wiring was covered with lofty plywood.
There were also wooden framed shoe racks on every floor that played a major role in generating more heat and spreading the fire rapidly on the 12th and 13th floors of the building. The lift lobby area was also covered with interior decorative combustible material and hence was entirely gutted.
The report was prepared after going through statements of eyewitnesses and observations made as well as circumstantial evidences, said fire officials.
“The report has recommended that no NOC (no objection certificate) for occupation should be provided till the concerned developer and occupiers take adequate measures to ensure fire safety,” said a senior fire official.