'Just Rushed Out': Residents of Tardeo’s Kamla Building Recall the Fire Tragedy

A resident told us that three of her relatives are currently being treated in a hospital.

Nanda Chavan, a resident of the building, told us that they just rushed out of the building as the fire broke out. 

(Photo: Ritvick Bhalekar/The Quint)

Reporter: Ritvick Bhalekar

Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam

"Without thinking about anything, we just rushed out of the building once we saw that a fire had broken out," said Nanda Chavan, a resident of the Kamla building that caught fire in Mumbai's Tardeo on Saturday, 22 January.

"Once we came down, we started looking for our relatives who live in the building. It was later that the firemen evacuated them and now they are being treated in the hospital. My brother, brother-in-law, and nephew are in the hospital," Chavan added, recollecting the tragedy that gripped the society in the early hours on Saturday.

The fire, which was reported in the 20-storey residential building at around 7:28 am and was extinguished by 12:20 pm, claimed the lives of at least six people and injured at least 15 others.

'There Was Smoke All Around': Eye Witness

Speaking to The Quint, an eye witness said that there was smoke all around, 'it became very difficult to see anything'.

"At around 7:15-7:20 am the fire broke out. There was so much smoke that we couldn't see anything. We used the fire extinguisher in the society to put off the fire but to no avail. I then called the fire brigade," Kamal Shah said.

A resident of another building, who saw the fire break out and rushed to help, said that they first switched off the gas pipeline and main electric switch to avoid a bigger tragedy.

Reports have suggested that the Level 3 fire could have been caused because of a short circuit, but an official confirmation is awaited.