A fire broke out in Mumbai’s Times Tower, a multi-storey commercial building in Lower Parel’s Kamala Mills compound, today morning (06.09.24). The blaze, classified as a major (Level 2) fire, started in an electrical duct between the 3rd and 7th floors and took over two hours to control. Despite the intensity, there were no reported casualties, and 8-9 fire engines were deployed at the scene. Initial actions by the building’s security staff using fire hoses helped contain the spread until firefighters arrived.

This incident recalls the tragic fire safety shortcoming that was also seen during the Grenfell Tower fire in London.

A critical factor in the Grenfell Tower fire was the flammable cladding, which caused rapid fire spread. This type of cladding should never have been used on buildings like Grenfell due to its high combustibility. The Times Tower had used similar cladding as well, and is the major contributor to fire spread; as confirmed by the Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Ambulgekar, as well: “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.”

The use of combustible materials on the facade completely ruled out the compartmentalization aspect of fire safety which ensures that the fire is contained and the spread is minimum.

The authorities, the building management and the other relevant stakeholders should have taken a learning from Grenfell and ensured the mistake isn’t repeated. A lack of proactive approach has led to this loss of property. Non-flammable materials should be mandated for high-rise structures to avoid such devastating incidents.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest that an active fire fighting system within the premises has allowed damage limitation of the property and no casualties have been reported.