The high-rise on Ezra Street has been hit by fire incidents 22 times in the past before the latest blaze early on Saturday morning.
The efforts to contain the fire, which spread to another building on the other side of the road, continued for more than five hours, and is yet to be brought fully under control.
Local Congress councillor Santosh Pathak alleged long-standing negligence by the authorities for the repeated instances of fire in the same building.
“This building has caught fire 22 times before. I wrote to the police department and the fire department earlier but there was no action from their end. The building beside it also caught fire in front of my eyes. If the fire brigade worked properly, this would not have happened,” Pathak said.
On 5 April, 2023, Pathak wrote a letter to mayor Firhad Hakim 'about illegal construction in the premises of 26 and 27 Ezra Street, both heritage properties'. In his letter, he had mentioned two minor fire incidents from a year ago. 'There are no safety facilities in the premises, and if any fire breaks out, many casualties may happen. So again I am requesting you to take strong action against the persons responsible for the constructions,' Pathak, the ward 45 councillor wrote in his letter.
Residents said a column of black smoke rose from the warehouse before flames leapt to adjoining shops and residential buildings in the densely populated lane.
Locals claimed the fire brigade arrived late and that the lack of proper fire safety measures in the building had been flagged repeatedly. Pathak said the problems were chronic and that similar fires had occurred several months ago as well. Fire officials said the cause of the blaze is still being investigated, though the presence of electronics and combustible materials likely accelerated its spread.
A local shopkeeper alleged that the firefighters acted poorly. He said, “The tanks have run out of water. There is no proper system in place to fight this type of fire. If they don’t control this, the entire area will be gutted.”
The blaze started around 5.30am at a warehouse stacked with electronic equipment, wires and other inflammable materials, according to fire officials. No one was injured in the fire, the police said.
"The fire broke out at around 5.30 am, and more than 20 fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze. Our firefighters began operations on arrival, but despite several hours of continuous effort, the fire has not yet been fully contained," a senior official of the state Fire Services department said.
"No casualties were reported, no individuals were trapped inside the building at the time of the incident. Emergency teams have cordoned off the area as a precaution while firefighting continues. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though the presence of electronic equipment and closely packed storage spaces is believed to have accelerated the spread of the fire," the official told PTI.
The cause of fire is still unknown.