At least 17 people were injured out of the 27 rescued by the Mumbai Fire Brigade after a major fire, classified as Level III, gutted several floors of a commercial high-rise, JNS Business Centre, in Jogeshwari West on Thursday morning.
The injured were rushed to Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma (HBT) Hospital, where nine remain under medical supervision, while eight were discharged after minor treatment.
The fire brigade rescued 27 people using hydraulic turntable ladders, internal fire exits, and staircases.
Fire safety violations
According to the fire brigade, the building had flouted key fire safety norms. The internal firefighting system, including risers and sprinklers, was non-functional. Officials also confirmed that the building had not submitted its mandatory Form B, a self-certification required twice a year to confirm compliance with fire safety standards.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Ravindra Ambulgekar said, “The fire brigade is examining all documents to verify whether the building has a valid fire no-objection certificate.”
How fire unfolded
The fire was first reported at 10.46 am and initially classified as a Level I (minor) fire. Within minutes, it escalated to Level II at 10.48 am and further to Level III (major) by 10.54 am.
It took the fire brigade nearly four hours, until 2.50 pm, to bring the blaze under control.
The fire started on the 9th floor and quickly spread to the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors of the 13-storey building. It later travelled through the electrical duct up to the 13th floor, filling multiple offices with dense smoke that hindered rescue operations. The fire was confined to electric wiring, ducts, false ceilings, office equipment, files, and furniture, officials said.
Inside the firefight
“Due to heavy smoke accumulation, our personnel had to break glass windows to allow ventilation,” a senior fire brigade official said.
A total of 13 senior officials, including the chief and deputy chief fire officers, led the operations. Nine fire engines, one tender, seven jumbo tankers, two turntable ladders, a quick response vehicle, and ambulances were deployed from Andheri, Marol, and Goregaon stations.
The injured
Among the injured were two senior citizens aged 60 and 61. All 17 victims complained of suffocation and breathing difficulty due to smoke inhalation. Doctors at HBT Hospital confirmed that all are stable and under treatment.
27
No. of people rescued
