Mumbai: A 72-year-old woman died after a fire broke out in a residential building in Goregaon East on Sunday evening, officials said. A lit diya that accidentally fell from her hand allegedly triggered the fire.
The blaze was reported around 7:22pm at Lakshya Chandi Building in Gokuldham Colony on Krishna Vatika Marg. According to officials, the fire was confined to the sixth floor of the 24-storey building.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) initially declared it a Level-I fire at 7:47pm and rushed multiple firefighting units to the spot. Emergency services, police, ambulance services and electricity personnel were also deployed to the site. The fire was later categorised as a Level II incident, indicating a more serious situation that required additional resources, officials said.
During the rescue operation, firefighters evacuated the victim, identified as Indu Tarkeshawar Singh, and rushed her to a nearby trauma care hospital in a private vehicle. She was declared dead at Lifeline Hospital in Goregaon, police said.
Ravindra Ambulgekar, chief fire officer, told HT, “The senior citizen lit a diya and it fell from her hand. The curtains caught fire first. She came out of the room but re-entered her home to douse the fire in a state of shock.”
Ambulgekar said the woman was unable to withstand the increasing carbon dioxide levels due to her age. “It was a huge flat and her husband was playing hockey downstairs. Her maid had taken her outside the flat when the fire broke. She should not have gone inside again; she collapsed due to smoke,” he added.
According to officials, the cause of the fire is being investigated, though preliminary findings point to the diya accidentally setting the curtains on fire.