Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 9: A 46-year-old lift operator died of suffocation after inhaling smoke during a fire at a 17th-floor flat in Runwal Elegante, a highrise residential complex in Andheri Lokhandwala, on Saturday night.

The deceased, identified as Dhanpat Mahatu, was rescued from the building's lobby and rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was declared brought dead at 3.54 am.

The fire broke out around 9.45 pm in flat No. 1701 in C wing and was confined to electrical installations and household articles. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze within an hour.

Residents said Mahatu, who had been working in the building for nearly a decade, helped others even as smoke spread rapidly through the premises. He reportedly assisted people who had taken another lift despite the danger.

"Society members are making arrangements to send his body to his village," said resident Gaurav Maini.

Runwal Elegante comprises three wings and has 27 habitable floors, apart from around six floors consisting of parking and podium levels.

Although the exact cause of the fire is being investigated, preliminary information suggested that it may have originated in the puja room of the affected flat.

Andheri fire station officer Ravi Pawade said the family members had stepped out after performing puja, leaving behind an elderly woman and a domestic help.

"The senior citizen, who has limited mobility, was safely brought downstairs by the maid before our teams arrived. The building's fire-fighting system was operational and aided our firefighting operations," he said.

As a precautionary measure, the entire C wing was evacuated, forcing residents to make alternative arrangements for the night.

A resident said the affected flat faced the road and the fire fortunately did not spread to adjoining flats, as each floor of the building had four flats.

However, Maini alleged that there was a delay in the fire brigade reaching the building. He also claimed that the ladder brought by the fire personnel could not reach the 17th floor.

He further alleged that residents who contacted the fire brigade were asked to identify the police station under whose jurisdiction the building fell, which they were unable to do at the time.

"Our immediate concern was to ensure that firefighters reached the building as quickly as possible, not to answer additional questions," he said.

Local BJP corporator Rupesh Sawarkar also raised concerns over the response time of the fire brigade. He said the elderly woman was being brought downstairs when he reached the spot, but the fire brigade had not arrived.

Pointing out that a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) parking lot was located adjoining the building, Sawarkar said a fire tender should ideally be stationed there, particularly as the locality did not have a fire station.

He said he had been demanding a dedicated fire station in view of the area's rapidly growing population.

Lokhandwala resident Dhaval Shah also called for a dedicated fire station equipped with a hydraulic aerial ladder to tackle emergencies in highrise buildings.

He said large-scale redevelopment projects in the Andheri-Versova Assembly constituency could increase its population three to four times, taking it to over one million residents in the coming years.

With several skyscrapers coming up in the locality, Shah stressed the need for better firefighting infrastructure to protect lives and property during highrise emergencies.