Mumbai: The Kamala Mills area is a hub for young professionals to unwind after a hard day's work.

With shopping malls, a multiplex and many offices including those of media houses nearby - and equidistant from Mumbai's western, central and eastern suburbs and not very far from tony south Mumbai - it is always buzzing with people, from families to out-for-a-party youngsters.

The fire broke out at a posh lounge on the rooftop of a building that houses offices of TV channels such as Times Now, ET Now, Mirror Now and ad agencies.

Kamala Mills has been a disaster zone for years, with cheek-by-jowl eateries and nightclubs but no proper safety measures or exit routes.

The disaster occurred at 1 Above, a rooftop pub-cum-restaurant mostly frequented by south Mumbai youth. All those who died or suffered burns are from south Mumbai.

Zomato gives 1 Above a 4.1/5 rating and describes it as a place for casual dining with a bar that serves only vegetarian fare.

The lounge below 1 Above, Mojo's Bistro, too got affected in the fire. Mojo's Bistro is co-owned by the son of a top singer-composer.

The 37-acre complex, once dotted with various offices, has seen massive changes over the past six months, with several high-end restaurants and pubs coming up in quick succession.

One of the Trump Towers too is coming up at the compound, which has a gaming arcade co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar.

The compound is located in a busy stretch of Pandurang Budkhar Marg, which is connected to south Mumbai and the other suburbs. The street is also home to the headquarters of corporate groups like Mahindra & Mahindra, Bombay Dyeing and Axis Bank and the head office of the $2.3-billion Welspun group. Doordarshan Kendra, Mumbai, is a few minutes away.

The Kamala Mills compound has at least 36 restaurants. They include Kode, the Bar Stock Exchange, Kaama, Flyp, Tappa, Pravas, Café Haqq Se, the Fatty Bao, D:OH, Grandmama's Café, Talaiva, Sky View Cafe, Verbena, Oye Kake, Beer Café, Café Delhi Heights, Old Wild West, Mojo's Bistro, and London Café apart from a Starbucks outlet. Reports say rentals on the premises have doubled in recent times to more than Rs 400 per square foot.