Major fire in Bellasis Road apartment, residents blame illegal activities
A major fire erupted at the Zia Apartment on Bellasis Road in Mumbai at noon. No casualty has been reported. The fire broke out in the basement. Many people stranded on the upper floors were rescued. Residents have been shifted to the nearby Anjuman Girls High School. Locals said they had complained about illegal commercial activities in the basement, but no action was taken.
Fire was confined to the basement
The blaze broke out around 12:20pm today. Eight fire engines were rushed to the spot. The six-storey building was evacuated. Personnel rescued four people who were stuck inside a lift. The fire remained confined to the basement. It was soon brought under control.
Did illegal commercial activities trigger the fire?
Residents of Zia Apartment had reportedly complained to the fire department earlier about illegal commercial activities in the basement. Officials had visited the scene and asked relevant authorities to take action. However, "other departments tasked with the responsibility to put an end to the commercial activities refused to take action," alleged one of the residents, Rizwan Khan.
High number of fire incidents expose blatant violation of norms
Recently, major fires have broken out in different places of Mumabai: RK Studios, a shop in Saki Naka, La Mer building (Bandra), an under-construction building (Juhu), and the Behrampada slums. These incidents have thrown light on the blatant violation of fire safety norms and indifference of the authorities. In the Kamala Mills incident, the 1Above restaurant didn't even have fire exits; 14 people died.
