20230828 Soon-to-wed couple, businessman killed in fire at Mumbai’s Hotel Galaxy
India Aug 28 2023 “Apartment houses” “Building”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
Soon-to-wed couple, businessman killed in fire at Mumbai’s Hotel Galaxy
Updated: 2023-08-28
MUMBAI: A couple, who were soon to get married, and a businessman from Gujarat died while three others suffered injuries in a fire that broke out in a second-floor room at Hotel Galaxy located in Prabhat Colony at Santacruz (E) on Sunday afternoon.
The three victims, who had come from Ahmedabad and were flying to Nairobi, were accommodated in the ground-plus four-storey hotel by the airlines as their flight was rescheduled. Kenyan national Rupal Kanji Dhanji (25) and Kishan Premji Halai (28), who were to get married in Kenya, and businessman Kantilal Gordhan Vara (48) were all in room number 304.
Vakola police have registered three different accidental death reports and are yet to file an FIR yet as they are awaiting the fire department report on the alleged violations. Chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar said: “We will examine the documentation of the hotel and also conduct an inspection. Action will be taken, if any safety violations are found.”
The BMC had recently issued a notice to Galaxy Hotel, which was built in 1966, for failure to adhere to fire safety norms. BMC H-East ward health officer Dr Satish Badgire said, “We have filed a case against the hotel in court, but it is yet to reply to our notice.” Another civic official alleged that the hotel had made structural changes and action would be taken by the building and factory department for the violations.
A hotel staffer told TOI that the fire broke out when Hardik Bhat, occupant of room number 204, switched on the AC and sparks flew out of the unit. “He immediately came down and alerted the staff who tried dousing the flames using the fire extinguisher. However, by then even the curtains in the room had caught fire and the flames started spreading rapidly. The staff then called the fire brigade,” said the staffer.
The flames soon spread to the upper floor via the staircase with wood cladding, embellishments, linen, and laundry material turning out to be the fuel for the fire. “There were a lot of towels, blankets, bedsheets kept on the staircase and in the corridors. Besides, the material used for interior decoration also helped the fire spread faster,” said a fire official.
“Vara was in room number 302, but panicked after the fire broke out and went to 304, where the couple was,” said a fire staffer.
Web Source: The Times of India