‘AVIGHNA’ FIRE THAT CLAIMED ONE LIFE RE-IGNITES SAFETY NORMS DEBATE

A man fell to his death from the 19th floor of a highrise “Avighna” in South Mumbai, which caught fire on Friday, 22 October 2021. In a video of the incident, the man is seen hanging from the balcony of a house on the 19th floor from where the fire was reported. He is also seen falling to the ground. The deceased has been identified as Arun Tiwari, who was declared brought dead, according to Dr Parvin Bangar, deputy dean of KEM Hospital. According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the incident was reported from Avighna Park Tower, Currey Road, around 11:51 am. The fire brigade said the incident has been declared a Level-4 fire.

The official further said 12 fire engines and water tankers reached the spot. Firefighters rushed inside the building even as black plumes of smoke were billowing from the building. Cooling operations were on and 26 people have been rescued to safety, said MFB officials. Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar also arrived at the spot and met fire brigade and police officials to take stock of the situation. She said, “Some sort of spark caused the fire. The fire system of the building responded poorly. We have ordered an inquiry into the incident."

Fire incidents, in fact, have been a cause for major concern not only for residential complexes but also for buildings that house businesses. Unfortunately, in the past few years, Mumbai has seen several tragic incidents of fires in high rises, as well as crowded spaces. And in most cases, the safety protocols-equipment, preparedness and training- were found to be far less than adequate. Over the past couple of years, there have been deadly fires in hospital buildings, including those treating Covid-19 patients. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says 330 people died in commercial building fires in 2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling buildings were much higher at 6,329.