Kothari fire inquiry blames meter box

MUMBAI: The

fire brigade

investigation into the

massive blaze

that broke out in the early hours of June 9 in the five-storey

Kothari Mansion

, a British-era structure in Fort popularly known as the Light of Asia restaurant building, has concluded that the cause of the

fire

was a defective electric circuit in the common electric meter box on the ground floor.


The building is located on a key road opposite the Chhatrapati

Shivaji

Maharaj Terminus (

CSMT

).

Chief fire officer P S Rahangdale said the blaze started from the ground level and spread rapidly across the structure. "The wooden framework of the building contributed to the spreading of the fire," he said.

During the investigation, the fire brigade recorded eyewitness statements and circumstantial evidence, which were used to establish which part of the structure was affected the most. The process also helped point to the part of the building from where the fire originated.

Almost a month after the blaze, one side of the road in front of the building remains shut for motorists. After the incident, the BMC had written to the Mumbai Building Repair & Reconstruction Board of Mhada directing it to take appropriate action to safeguard the adjoining buildings and pedestrian traffic. The feared that the rest of the building was in a bad state and could collapse any time.

On the day of the blaze, the fire-fighting team had a narrow escape as a few minutes after 10 am a part of the building collapsed. Two firemen, who got stuck on the fire ladder, sustained minor injuries.