Fire engulfs multi-storey Times Tower in Lower Parel's Kamala Mills, no injuries reported

The fire affected the electric duct running from the third to the seventh floor of the building. As the incident occurred in the early hours, no one was injured

Mumbai: A significant fire erupted in a multi-storey building at Kamala Mills in Mumbai on Friday morning, prompting a large-scale response from emergency services. The blaze, which began as a Level 1 fire at 6:36 am, quickly escalated to Level 2 by 6:47 am at Times Tower, situated within the Kamala Mills compound on Senapati Bapat Road, Lower Parel.

The fire's rapid spread was fuelled by the aluminium composite panel (ACP) cladding in the building's ducting.(Yogesh Naik)

The fire primarily affected the electric duct running from the third to the seventh floor at the rear of the 14-storey glass-façade commercial building. As the incident occurred in the early hours, the offices were unoccupied, and no injuries were reported.

Ravindra Ambulgekar, the chief fire officer, explained to HT that the fire's rapid spread was fuelled by the aluminium composite panel (ACP) cladding in the building's ducting. "The ACP cladding is made of plastic-like materials that are highly inflammable, which caused the fire to spread quickly upwards. The glass façade of the building also hindered firefighting efforts," Ambulgekar stated.

He further noted that while ACP cladding is often used for aesthetic purposes and as a protective cover for air conditioning units, it poses significant safety risks. "We had to fight the fire from inside," he added.

The operation faced delays as firefighters were forced to break into several offices on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh floors using hydraulic door openers. "We used tools like chisels and hammers to break the locks from the second floor up to the 14th floor. Entering smoke-filled offices and dousing the flames was particularly challenging," Ambulgekar said.

Given the fire's intensity, eight fire engines, water tankers, and turntable ladders were deployed. The fire was contained by 10:10 am, but cooling operations continued.

Witnesses described the scene as alarming. Vijayeta Basu, a resident of Lodha Park, located across from Kamala Mills, reported that she first noticed the fire around 6:12 am. "I had ordered food, and the delivery guy said he couldn't enter because of the fire. It was intense and continued to spread for about an hour," she said.

Basu added that while it took some time for fire engines to arrive, they eventually began hosing down the building. "The entire building wasn't engulfed, but the fire kept creeping up," she observed. By the time she left her building at 8:30 am, all fire tenders were still working to extinguish the remaining flames.

Despite the intensity of the fire, no injuries or casualties were reported. Eight fire brigade teams remained on-site, using fire engines and turntable ladders to ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Cooling operations are ongoing.