With some prominent eateries like Cafe Mondegar and McDonalds and shops like Metro Shoes, Metro House is popular with locals and tourists alike who often come to shop there.
One of the most popular buildings in Colaba Causeway — Metro House — caught fire on Thursday afternoon, which was not in control even six hours after it started. Fire officials stated that short circuit was one of the likely causes of the fire that started around 3.45pm and began spreading quickly in the building which is strikes out due to its white facade.
With some prominent eateries like Cafe Mondegar and McDonalds and shops like Metro Shoes, Metro House is popular with locals and tourists alike who often come to shop there.
"In the afternoon, when we were heading to our police station in Cuffe Parade, one of our persons saw smoke coming out of the second floor. The moment we saw, we informed the main control room," said Adhinath Ahire, a police inspector.
The fire brigade came within ten minutes of being informed, said one of the persons who works in the building. "However, initially they did not have much water to douse it," he added. Fire officials suspect that it started on the second floor of the B wing that houses a security agency. "It probably started due to short circuit and spread quickly because the flooring and staircase are all of wood," said a fireman. By evening, there were 20 fire brigades and 150 policemen on the spot. However, chief fire officer P Rahangdale said, "I cannot give information on where it started from and the cause. It is all under investigation. As of now, we have managed to almost extinguish fire in B and C wing and working to control it in A wing."
The fire started in the second floor of the B wing and soon spread to the third floor before moving down to the first floor. It later spread to the second floor of the C wing, then to the A wing and continued to spread in the back side of the building. Firemen were cutting trees near the building to avoid spread of fire. "Initially, no one took the fire warning seriously. Police later started to hit some people to ensure that they got out of the building," said Mohammed Qadar, from Shabana Exports on second floor of the A wing.
"There are a lot of illegal constructions in the building. Since it is all woodwork, the fire spread quickly," said Kavita Shivalkar, resident of third floor A-wing, who came running down when fire broke out. One firemen stated that due to the wooden flooring and wooden staircase, they were finding it difficult to get inside and had to douse the fire from outside.
A number of people lost belongings as the premises were completely shut down. "I luckily managed to pick up my passport and other documents but every other thing was inside," said Sanhory Ahmed, a Sudanese national who was in Regal Hotel. Some, however, were not as lucky. "Although all our people came out, we are expecting severe damage and loss," said a hotel owner.
Raj Purohit, BJP MLA who had come criticised the operation, said, "I am very upset with the coordination between BMC and fire brigade. Again and again, water supply was falling short. I respect firemen, but if fire brigade cannot extinguish fire in one building, then how will they extinguish fire during terrorist attack?"
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