Chembur fire: 7 killed as neighbours, firemen couldn’t reach upper floor, say eyewitnesses

The iron ladder inside the house that is used to exit the house. Pic/Aditi Haralkar

Seven people, including three minors, died in a fire that broke out at Siddharth Nagar, Chembur, on Sunday at 5.20 am. Members of the Gupta family were unable to escape from the upper floors owing to the fire on the ground floor. Only the father and son managed to escape before the flames spread. A firefighter reported that the family was trapped on the upper floor because the iron ladder they needed to exit was inside the house. They could only leave through the ground floor, which was engulfed in flames and dense smoke. Police officers noted that kerosene cans were stored in the shop, which likely contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Six of those who perished were Vidhi Gupta, Narendra Gupta, Gitadevi Chediram Gupta

Chediram Gupta, a senior citizen, and his son Dharamdev Gupta were able to escape before the fire spread. Chediram operated a grain and general store on the ground floor. He typically wakes up early, and upon noticing the fire, he shouted to awaken the rest of the family, according to eyewitness Pradip Gaikwad. However, only he and his son managed to escape. The family had lived in the area for 40 to 50 years, operating small grain and general stores. Dharamdev also runs a medical shop in Chembur.

The ground plus two structure caught fire on Sunday morning. Pic/Aditi Haralkar

According to the civic disaster control report, the victims included Praisy Prem Gupta, 6, Manju Prem Gupta, 30, Anita Dharamdev Gupta, 39, Prem Chediram Gupta, 30, Narendra Gupta, 10, Vidhi Dharamdev Gupta, 15, and Gitadevi Chediram Gupta, 60. The fire brigade report indicated that Chediram and Dharamdev were on the ground floor, while Chediram's wife Gita Devi, Dharamdev's wife Anita, and their children Narendra and Vidhi were found on the first floor.

Prem Gupta, along with his wife Manju and daughter Praisy, were located on the second floor. Some residents, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested that the store might have been stocked with kerosene. Prem Gupta works for a software company, while his wife is a medical representative.

Manju, Praisy and Prem Gupta. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

Local resident Prathamesh Nanavare stated that even the firemen could not reach the upper floor because the ladder was on the ground floor. "A few of us broke a window and the sheets of the roof to enter the house. We found three people lying on the second floor and brought them outside," he said. Another youth who participated in the rescue, Vaibhav Gaikwad, noted that dense smoke filled the room due to the closed window.

"We couldn't see anything inside, but we managed to locate three people using a torch. When we broke the window, heavy smoke billowed out," he added. Mahesh Bhalerao explained that the ladder needed for the upper floor was inside the house, which likely prevented the family from escaping as the fire spread on the ground floor. "When we entered the upper floor, the smoke was so thick that we couldn't see," he added.

The civic disaster control report indicated that the fire was reported at 5.20 am and was extinguished after four hours, at 9.15 am. A Mumbai Fire Brigade official stated, "The fire was controlled after some time, and we managed to prevent it from spreading outside the home." The fire was confined to the electrical wiring and installations in the shop on the ground floor, along with household articles.

Deputy Police Commissioner Hemrajsingh Rajput confirmed that seven family members died while sleeping on the upper floor, while two others escaped from the ground floor. The cause of the fire remains unidentified. "We have decided to conduct a forensic investigation, and the Mumbai Fire Brigade expert team will also investigate," DCP Rajput said. The injured were taken to Zen Hospital, where doctors declared them dead upon arrival. The bodies were subsequently transferred to the Rajwadi Post-Mortem Centre.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh per casualty for the family and ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, emphasising the need to implement measures to prevent similar tragedies. Eknath Shinde visited the site, met Chediram Gupta, and assured him of all possible support. The chief minister also mentioned that decisions regarding slum rehabilitation efforts would be made in an upcoming meeting.