A devastating fire broke out on the top floor of the Atlantic Building on Sherly Rajan Road in Bandra West late Wednesday night, claiming the life of a 64-year-old man and injuring his wife along with two firefighters. The blaze was brought under control close to midnight after an intense firefighting operation.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade reported the incident at 9:12 pm, escalating it to a Level-I fire by 9:55 pm. The flames were fully extinguished at 11:50 pm following coordinated efforts involving fire brigade personnel, police, 108 ambulance services, Adani Electricity staff, and ward officials. The fire spread across electrical wiring, installations, and household items in Rooms 701 and 702 on the top floor of the ground-plus-seven-storey building.
Civic authorities confirmed that Azim Barodawala (64) was brought dead to Bhabha Hospital, while his wife sustained injuries. Additionally, two firefighters—Shivshankar Bharat Puri (32) from Bandra Fire Station and Navnath Mohan Bite (34)—were admitted to Bhabha Hospital after suffering suffocation during the operation.
Residents claimed the fire originated from an air-conditioner blast in the deceased's flat. “An AC blast occurred in the deceased's room, following which the fire spread to the entire floor. Smoke reached their refrigerator area, and the blaze intensified,” said a resident. She added that the ceiling collapsed during the incident, trapping the deceased inside the flat.
Fahima Sheikh, who lives in a slum settlement behind the building, said she woke up after hearing screams. According to Sheikh, firefighters rescued the injured woman by pulling her out of the building but were unable to save her husband, as the fire had already engulfed the flat. She noted that the man had gone to the washroom when the blast occurred.
Another resident of Sherly Rajan Road stated that firefighters arrived at 9 pm, nearly an hour after the AC blast. Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the fire, and an investigation is underway. “The residents of the building have been asked to move out to other places with their belongings,” a security guard of Atlantic Building said.
