Mumbai: The Big Bazaar shopping centre in Matunga, which was gutted in a fire last week, continues to remain shut as the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) has disconnected its power and water supply. The owner of the property has also been served a notice as the loft where the major fire broke had been extended illegally.
“The final investigation report will be out in one or two days, which will reveal the cause of the fire,” said chief fire officer P.S. Rahangdale.
The fire in Big Bazaar was so big that that Fire Brigade declared it a Level IV call and 12 fire engines, nine jumbo water tankers and two quick-response vehicles had to be rushed to the spot. All the adjacent buildings were evacuated and the fire brigade had to demolish the compound wall to reach the spot. The shop, a one-storey structure, is located at Era House in Mogul lane, Matunga.
The incident took place on Monday, April 29, around 5 pm. Fortunately, the city had gone to the polls at the time due to which the shop saw no rush. The old structure where the shop is located did have fire-extinguishing equipment, but they were not handy when the fire was raging. The MFB has said that a final investigation report would only reveal the cause of the fire. But it is predicted that the fire broke out due to a short circuit and the blast was due to a compressor in the storage area.
Firemen faced many challenges as the conflagration spread quickly due to cylinder blasts. The loft, which caught fire was used as a godown and was extended illegally, according to the Fire Brigade. However, the owner of the property reportedly claimed that he had all valid documents for the usage of the area where the fire had broken out.
