NAVI MUMBAI: A devastating midnight fire broke out in the Raheja Residency, an upscale 12-storey building in Vashi’s M G Complex, Sector 14, early Tuesday, claiming four lives — including a bedridden 84-year-old woman and a family of three on the top floor. Ten other residents were rescued and hospitalised for smoke inhalation and suffocation.
The deceased were identified as Sundar Balakrishnan (44), his wife Pooja Rajan (39), and their six-year-old daughter Vedika, who lived on the 12th floor, and Kamala Jain (84), who resided two floors below with her family.
According to Vashi senior inspector Shashikant Chandekar, the cause of the fire — which began in a 10th-floor flat — is still under investigation. “We will act once the electrical safety department submits its report,” he said. Preliminary suspicion points to either Diwali lamps or an AC short-circuit as possible triggers.
Divisional fire officer Purushottam Jadhav said the Vashi fire station received the call at 12.40 am, after which fire engines from Vashi, Nerul, Koparkhairane, and Airoli were dispatched. Firefighters rescued ten residents from the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors, helping them reach the B-wing terrace, from where they escaped through the adjacent A-wing staircase. Residents from lower floors managed to evacuate before the brigade’s arrival.
Sanjay Ubale, the building’s part-time society manager, said the Jain family likely tried to flee after power was cut off, causing panic. “Kamala Jain’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandson ran to the terrace, but she, being bedridden, couldn’t be rescued,” he said.
Ubale added that the fire hydrant system in the building was fully functional and assisted firefighters in containing the blaze. Officials from the electrical safety department have visited the site and will soon submit their report on the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident at Turbhe, a fire broke out around 9 pm Monday after Diwali crackers ignited plastic decorations on the terrace of a two-storey building. The RCF fire station team doused the flames within ten minutes, and no injuries were reported.
