Fire in Santacruz East hotel kills three

The victims were Indigo Airlines passengers on their way to Nairobi, who were put up at the hotel by the airline because their flight was delayed

MUMBAI: Three persons died in a fire that broke out on Sunday afternoon in Galaxy Hotel in Santacruz East. The deceased—Rupal Kanji, 25, Kishan M, 28, and Kantilal Gordhan Vara, 48—were Indigo Airlines passengers on their way to Nairobi, who were put up at the hotel by the airline because their flight was delayed.

“The fire brigade reached the spot at 1.18 pm,” said P G Dudhaal, divisional fire officer. “We had to rescue eight people. The fire was extinguished with a hydraulic platform, ladder, three small hose lines and one high-pressure first aid line. We’re still investigating the cause.” (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

The blaze that claimed their lives broke out on the second floor of the ground-plus-four-storeyed hotel at 1.10 pm and gutted the electric wiring, power installations, air-conditioning, curtains, mattresses and wood furniture in a couple of rooms and common areas like the duct, staircase and lobby. Kanji, Kishan M and Vara were found dead in Room 304 with 80 to 100 percent burns.

According to the night manager, Joseph Fernandes, the fire was likely to have started in the air-conditioning unit of Room 204. “There was a new guest in the room who had just checked in,” he said. The AC sparked just as he switched it on, and scared, he shut the room and came down to inform us. But by then, the curtain had already caught fire, which spread upwards.”

The hotel staff rushed to get other guests out of their rooms, as there were no fire alarms. Adarsh Srivasta, who was in the room next door to 204 with a friend Anil Kumar Hebram, remembers the electricity abruptly going off at 1 pm. “Then there was a very loud and insistent knock on the door,” he said. “When we opened the door, there was dense, suffocating smoke everywhere. We left everything and ran down the stairs.”

Srivatsa, Hebram and several other guests at the hotel were there to finalise jobs with ONGC. Fernandes said this was common, as the hotel had tied up with a few companies who sent their guests to them.

The three deceased, who were taken to V N Desai Hospital, were declared dead on admission. A few other guests were also taken to hospital A mother-daughter duo, Manjula Vakhrariya, 49, and Alfa Vakhariya,19, in Room 309 were also taken to the hospital to be treated for anxiety.

“The fire brigade reached the spot at 1.18 pm,” said P G Dudhaal, divisional fire officer. “We had to rescue eight people. The fire was extinguished with a hydraulic platform, ladder, three small hose lines and one high-pressure first aid line. We’re still investigating the cause.”

Dudhaal added that as this was an old hotel, it met the fire compliances at the time of construction. There was a fire extinguisher on every floor. However, when a hotel employee rushed up with an extinguisher, he too got stuck and had to be rescued, said Balraje Pawar, PSI from Vakola police station.

Prakhar Srivastava, also chosen for a job at ONGC but due to check out the next day, was in Room 302. “I came out of the washroom and the electricity suddenly went off,” he said. “To check, I opened the door, and there was a lot of smoke. I couldn’t step out. People were screaming, urging everyone to get out quickly.”

Srivastava then shut the door and went towards the window and called for help. “Some people threw a rope up, but it was not secure,” he said. “So I waited for the fire brigade for around 20 to 30 minutes. It was very suffocating and I felt a little breathless. But the fire brigade got me down with a ladder.”

A civic official from H East ward said that Hotel Galaxy had been sent an intimation letter to acquire a fire compliance certificate. “Whether they complied will be ascertained by the fire department,” he said.

Chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar, when contacted, said that the cause of the fire was under investigation. “It was a ground-plus-four building,” he said. “The fire broke out on the second floor and the building was evacuated by firemen. Six to seven people were rescued and simultaneously, the fire was extinguished. Primarily, breathing apparatus was used and we ventilated the area and extinguished the fire immediately. The three who died were rescued by the fire brigade but they were declared dead by the hospital.”

The Vakola police have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating whether there was any negligence on the part of the hotel management.