Mumbai fire: BMC targets illegal pubs; airports on alert; 10 developments

Fourteen persons, including a young woman celebrating her birthday, died from breathing toxic fumes and at least 55 others were injured in a major fire that engulfed a pub and other establishments here early on Friday. According to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control, the blaze was noticed around 12.30 a.m. at The Mojo Bistro and 1Above, both rooftop restaurants in The Kamla Trade House, a posh business-cum-media-cum-entertainment hub in Lower Parel area of south Mumbai.

The flames, initially suspected to be triggered by an electric short-circuit, quickly spread to an adjacent pub and a restaurant, trapping over 200 people on the premises who screamed and ran helter-skelter to escape the toxic fumes.

The tragedy cast an ominous shadow on the upcoming New Year 2018 celebrations in the maximum city renowned for its varied night life, late night parties and outings.

Top 10 developments

1. Lookout notice issued against accused, airports put on high-alert

The police on Saturday issued a lookout notice against all the accused in the case. Also, as a preventive measure, airports across the country have been put on high-alert and five teams of the Mumbai Police have been formed to search for the accused.

2. Day after Mumbai pub blaze, BMC smashes illegal structures

A day after the tragic fire in a pub which claimed 14 lives, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s demolition squads went hammer and tongs after illegal fittings, extensions and obstacles at various locations here on Saturday.

A team went to the Kamala Mills Compound and demolished allegedly unauthorised extensions, fittings and fixtures and obstacles preventing smooth movement in case of any emergencies. The teams swooped in on the neighbouring Raghuvanshi Mills compound and Phoenix Mills complex targeting all illegal structures or constructions there.

Some of the places where demolitions were carried out include the China Garden, Revival Restaurant, Heera Panna Mall, Sky View Cafe, Social Inn and others in the vicinity which draw huge crowds, especially during weekends.

A police team inspects the debris after a major fire broke out on Thursday night at a building in Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel. BS Photo: Kamlesh D Pednekar

3. Nothing can deter Mumbaikars from partying, celebrating New Year

Many would like to believe that the blaze would deter Mumbaikars from partying; however, this is not the case. According to Freepressjournal.in, revellers will bring in the New Year at innumerable restaurants and pubs in Kamala Mills. There are 36 pubs and restaurants, of which four had rooftops. Fire, or fear of safety does not deter partygoers. Following this incident, managements have tightened security measures and plan to accept only those guests who’ve made prior reservations for New Year’s Eve and there will be no last-minute entries at pubs and restaurants.

4. 2 men saved 50 lives

According to NDTV, Mahesh and Suraj Giri, who were in the next building, saved over 50 people. Both work in the server room of a television station in the complex. Watching the rooftop engulfed in flames, the two climbed pipes to reach the fourth floor, broke open the lock on the exit and helped bring out people. Suraj led people to a back exit and Mahesh called the fire engines. "We were going to the washroom when we saw the fire and people running around. There were around 200 to 250 people in the rooftop restaurants".

5. Bollywood celebs express condolences, blame BMC

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit on Friday rued the "apathy of the system", while film actors like Ajay Devgn and Rajkummar Rao expressed condolences following the tragedy in which a fire engulfed a pub and other establishments here, killing 14 people and injuring several others.

Pandit went on a Twitter rant, sharing his despair about repeated human tragedies due to lack of fear of law, and lashed out at BMC officials for being "corrupt".

Here's what other celebrities had to say:

6. Political blame game begins

Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party on Friday slammed the Mumbai civic administration and the state government for the Kamala Mills fire. They alleged the BJP-led dispensation in the state was ignoring corruption in the Sena-run BMC to ensure stability of the state government. The state is run by a BJP-Sena alliance government. A war of words broke out between BJP MP from Mumbai (North East) Kirit Somaiya and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant in the Lok Sabha over the tragic incident that occurred at 12.30 am on Friday. Reacting sharply to the fire incident, Kirit Somaiya blamed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for its persistent negligence towards having safety measures in place.

Jaya Bachchan, actor and Rajya Sabha Member representing Samajwadi Party said, “I have been to Kamala Mills. It’s like a bhool-bhulaiya with narrow lanes. So, obviously, there has been negligence.” Added, playback singer and BJP MP Babul Supriyo, “It’s (fire incident) a big learning experience, but it shouldn’t come with such a huge cost. So many people have lost their lives.” The Shiv Sena MP didn’t leave an opportunity to point a finger at the BJP MP.

7. Manager, pub staff run away without helping; pub owners see no faults; 1Above blames Mojo's

After 14 patrons perished in a massive fire, a blame game began on Friday between the two Kamala Mills pubs -- 1Above and Mojo's Bistro -- which have been reduced to a heap of ashes.

Even as authorities claimed that the blaze started in 1Above, where all the casualties were reported, the pub sought to push the blame on unnamed adjoining premises and Mojo's Bistro, located a floor below, all of whose patrons escaped safely. 1Above blamed Mojo's Bistro for not having an emergency exit, leading to overcrowding of 1Above's escape avenues. "We believe that all their guests were told to go through our premises as we have an emergency exit," according to a statement from 1Above.

"No fire safety norms were followed by the pub and the management did not make any arrangement for the safe exit of its customers during the blaze," police said. "The manager and other staff of the pub ran away from the spot without helping those injured in the blaze," police said.

8. Drunken stupor, selfie obsession delayed evacuation

Some patrons of '1 Above' casually took selfies of the massive flames that leapt metres into the sky, while a few others lay immobilised in drunken stupor, delaying evacuation from the pub that was devastated in the blaze that killed 14 people here, eyewitnesses said. Difficulty in finding the exit door also impeded rescue efforts, forcing nervous customers to lock themselves up in toilets.

Fallen metal support bars, charred furniture and blackened walls are all that remain of the '1 Above' pub where a devastating blaze claimed 14 lives here last night.

The dead included a 29-year-old woman, who moments before had cut a cake at the pub to ring in her birthday. The swanky pub where the fire broke out was reduced to rubble, with broken glass and charred furniture scattered on the floor. The smell of burnt bamboo that once adorned the rooftop pub, and the after-fire smoke filled the air even as fire officials were busy clearing the debris.

9. BJP leader Hema Malini's bizarre take on Mumbai blaze

In a bizarre suggestion, BJP MP Hema Malini on Friday said a limit should be fixed on how many people could live in a city to avoid tragedies like the one that struck a Mumbai pub where 14 people were killed in a fire that erupted during a birthday bash.

"It is because of too much population in Mumbai city," the actor-turned-politician told a TV channel outside Parliament House when her reaction was sought about the tragedy.

"Some restrictions should be imposed on population. First of all, each city should have certain population, certain limit. After that, they (people) should not be allowed. Let them go to another city, next city," Malini said.

10. Twitter expresses anguish