20220306 Mumbai: Post 2 major fires, BMC to audit Bhandup mall structure
India Mar 06 2022 “Building” “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Mumbai: Post 2 major fires, BMC to audit Bhandup mall structure
Updated: 2022-03-06
After a 9 hour operation the fire was doused on Saturday
MUMBAI: The BMC will carry out a structural inspection and survey of Bhandup’s Dreams Mall and hold a joint meeting with the owners of the mall and then decide if the structure is safe for use or not. Officials said that due to the two major fires in the mall in less than a year, large portions of the mall’s structure are badly damaged.
On Friday a second major fire broke out in the mall in one year. The fire brigade doused the fire fully after a nine hour operation in the early hours of Saturday.
In March 2021, a massive fire had broken out inside the mall where the Sunrise Hospital was housed and one of the upper floors was gutted. The fire had claimed 11 lives.
Officials said that since the March 2021 fire the mall was shut and the electricity and water supply inside the building was also disconnected. Officials said since the mall was empty, there were no casualties.
“The actual cause of fire is yet to be established. The fire started on the ground floor and then spread to other parts. Electrical ducts and cables were hanging around the building because of which the flames intensified. Even in march 2021, the fire had started from the first floor and then went up,”said an official.
“With the two fires, now almost 60% of the structure has been damaged and is now dilapidated. The fire may have been caused due to a short circuit. We will have a joint meeting with the owners of the building along with other BMC departments. There are some pending property tax and water charges that are due. A structural audit will have to be done too. These issues will be discussed before any decision is taken,” said a senior civic official
Web Source: The Times of India