Following a blaze at Kuber CHS in sector 21, Ghansoli on Saturday night that left six persons, including a 10-year-old girl, with minor burn injuries, an injured tenant couple has alleged negligence by MSEDCL officials. Avinash Yashwantrao (39) and his wife Aavishka (38), currently hospitalized in Airoli, claim the fire that started in a second-floor flat and spread to two upper floors was due to the power company's carelessness. They are demanding monetary compensation for the destruction of their furniture, cash, and important documents.
Sequence of Events
Avinash Yashwantrao, an employee with the NMMC health department's Malaria section, recounted that a transformer failure occurred around 9 am on Saturday due to overloading from an electric speaker, causing a power outage in sectors 21 and 22. When MSEDCL sent a team to replace the transformer with an old one, residents objected and insisted on a new transformer. Officials assured them the old unit was in good working condition. However, when locals persisted, officials stated that procuring a new transformer would take three to four days, during which there would be no power. Consequently, residents reluctantly agreed to the old replacement.
At approximately 8:05 pm on Saturday, the old transformer also failed after emitting electric sparks. This immediately impacted the electrical wiring of flat number 203 on the second floor, where a short circuit reportedly caused a major fire. The flat owner, Parveen Sayyad, had gone grocery shopping, leaving her minor daughter Aisha alone at home playing carrom with friends. Sayyad had just reached the building when the fire broke out. She shouted for Aisha to run downstairs, but the girl and her two friends panicked as the flames spread rapidly.
Heroic Rescue Efforts
Avinash added, "As the fire gutted flats 303 and 403 on the floors above, the building filled with smoke and residents panicked. Before the fire brigade arrived around 8:20 pm, my wife and I were trapped but chose to risk our lives to save three children screaming for help. We carried them from the second floor and ran downstairs, sustaining burn injuries to our palms and soles as the fire had spread to the staircase." Firefighters later rescued approximately 15 residents. Avishka and Avinash were rushed to Indravati Hospital in Airoli, while Aisha was taken by her mother to NMMC Hospital in Vashi. It was later learned that three others—tenant Vishal Jagtap (32), his spouse Ankita (29), and housemaid Kaushalya Pimpale (55)—were admitted to Basil Hospital in Koparkhairane.
Allegations Against MSEDCL
Aavishka Yashwantrao stated, "The blaze has devastated the lives of tenants and owners due to property destruction. MSEDCL authorities are accountable for their negligence in ensuring proper electricity supply and maintenance. Moreover, after the fire, MSEDCL immediately brought a new transformer for replacement, which they had previously claimed was unavailable and would take three to four days."
MSEDCL's Response
Siddharth Bansode, MSEDCL executive engineer (Vashi division), countered, "The allegations blaming MSEDCL for negligence causing the fire are technically inappropriate. The fire broke out on the second-floor flat. If it were due to transformer failure, the fire should have started in the building's meter room, where the electricity cable from the transformer connects. However, the government fire safety inspector from Thane and the NMMC fire brigade found that the cable supplying power from the transformer to the meter room was undamaged, and the meter room was unaffected. Even the first-floor flats were not affected. Prima facie, it appears the fire was due to a short circuit in the second-floor flat, after which it spread to two upper floors. However, the report from the fire safety inspector is awaited to ascertain the actual cause."
